Story Not Told
by LuSilveira
Summary: Just my guess at what happened between Buster and Ash during the movie, starting at when she broke up with Lance. Eventual BusterxAsh, Bustash, Ashter, whatever floats your boat, rated T for safety. No hate please. R&R. MAJOR SPOILERS! CHAPTER 9 IS MATURE! Cover was made by the amazing Asestrada157 from deviantart.
1. Heartbreaker

It was just another day of rehearsing for the great competition. The same competition that would pay her and Lance $100,000 dollars for them to live their dream. She froze. _Lance_. He hadn't been chosen to participate in the competition, and was even less supportive of her after that. She went home determined to talk to him about it. This one time, she'd do it. She'd talk to him, and demand for him not to put her down and support her, since she was doing it for them.

Until she unlocked the door. Who was she fooling? She wasn't good enough. The only animal who thought she was good was the same crazy koala that pictured her as a punk-rock princess. If she was good in the eyes of that guy, there was no way she'd be good in the eyes of normal animals. Right?

"Babe, I'm home!" She went straight to the living room, where she knew Lance would be composing. Then, she froze upon seeing him singing with some other girl. Their mouths were nearly glued together. "What is going on here?" She asked, outraged.

Lance gulped. _Oh oh._

"Hi, I'm Becky." The female porcupine said.

"Becky?!"

"Look babe, I can explain…"

She scoffed. "Get out."

"Ash, wait."

"GET OUT!" She grabbed Lance's guitar case and started walking towards the entrance door. "After you!"

"Come on Ash, what did you expect? You're never around anymore, you're always at that rehearsal of yours!"

"I was doing it for us Lance, you and me!" She threw his case at his feet.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry but I think I left my sunglasses in there…" Becky began, only to get a door to her face.

"Come on Becky, let's get outta here."

On the other side of the door, Ash sat on the ground, still in shock. She knew she wasn't being the best girlfriend, but never expected her to be bad enough for Lance to _cheat_ on her. She could feel tears burning her eyes, before allowing them to run free. She was mad, and she was upset, and above all she was _lost_ , and she didn't like it the least bit. Probably why she got together with Lance, anyway. She felt so lost back in the day...

She tried ignoring all this. She tried playing some upbeat song in her guitar, listening to some tune, watching TV, and even going into an early sleep, until finding out it was really hard to go to bed when you were sobbing. Not having anyone to turn to and any other place to go, she grabbed her backpack and left for the only place she could think of.

The Moon Theatre. She had seen pictures of it in her school books, and it always struck her to be a great show house, but now it looked like it had fallen on hard times. The walls were in desperate need of repainting, carpets were scratched and stained, and most of the outside ornament was scratched or falling apart. She wondered why an owner that has $100 grand in his pocket doesn't use it to fix his theatre. She brushed the thought off, and knocked at the front door.

"Mr Moon? Someone in there? Hello?" She saw a faltering lamp going off somewhere at the theatre, and circled the building to find the backstage entry. She forced it. Locked. Great. Just near the door, there was a large trash can. She dragged it to under the window, and climbed it, trying to reach the latter. No success. Stepping on the upper doorframe, she tried grabbing hold of the window frame, that is, until she heard a tiny snapping noise.

 _Oh oh._ She came crashing down to the ground, bringing part of it with her. _Yep, this definitely needs repairing._ She thought, positioning herself to try again. This time, she managed to dig deeper into whichever room she was going into, and managed to plop herself onto it. She smiled. Success.

Dusting herself off, she started going around, trying to get some idea of her surroundings. The last thing she didn't expect to find was a really startled koala holding his Glock .357 gun pointed at the door.

"HALT RIGHT THERE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP! HANDS UP!"

"Mr Moon! Mr Moon, it's me!" She held her hands up high, shaking.

He lowered the gun, slowly approaching her. "A-Ash?"

She nodded. "Hey there, Mr Moon."

"Ash, what… What are you doing here?" He turned on the lights, and what he saw scared him. She was a mess. Her face was bloated up, and her eyes were red from crying. "Oh boy. Well… Okay, I'm going to make us some tea. Wait here, please." He took off down the stairs. She merely opened his minibar, and pulled out a beer can.

Not too long later, she sat at his office, drinking, and staring at the town from above. This wasn't like her, and she knew it. Going out to someone's theatre in the middle of the night, practically breaking in, and above all _drinking_. Yep, this really wasn't her. Although she was familiar with the taste of beer, and enjoyed it quite a lot, she almost never had a drink out of her house. Especially given the fact she was 17. That helped. Being an escapee, the last thing she wanted was to get in trouble and be sent back to her parents' house. The thought sent a shiver up her spine. She dried up a couple of fresh tears that came to her eyes.

"You know, I shouldn't let you drink." Buster spoke, slowly approaching her. "You're 17, right? That could get us both in trouble, and… Man, judging by your face I can tell neither of us needs more of them!" He laughed. Ash, however, didn't.

"Who cares…" She replied, turning away. Buster didn't know what to do or say. He could tell the matter was serious. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. She looked down.

"I kinda do, actually. If someone catches us I'm the one who'll get um… Busted." Both exchanged looks, and burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the many empty rooms. He was happy finally getting to lighten the mood. Helping himself, he laid the tray down and took a seat near the teenager. After some time, the laughter was substituted by mad silence. After what seemed like an eternity, Ash could finally retort with a tease.

"So, you choose that stage name only to make that pun?" He laughed.

"Stage name? That's my real name, Ash. I don't perform, I don't get a stage name."

"Figures. I don't see anyone picking out that name in a replacement for their own." She laughed. Buster only faked annoyance and replied in a similar teasing tone.

"Hey, my name's really beautiful alright!"

"Maybe to your parents." She shot, smirking.

"And me, and that's all that matters." He retorted, confident.

More silence. She was amazed at him. How self-confident and positive could someone be? He was equally amazed. How much could someone taunt and joke while feeling hell burning in their chests? He didn't knew much. He was aware of that. But he had been a teen, and knew these were the clear signs one of them was going through something, but wasn't going to outright ask.

 _Oh what the hell._ He thought. He had nothing to lose.

"Ash. You climbed up my window at 1 in the morning. You haven't really faced me. You're drinking, and you're sitting on my office making fun of my name. Either you are trying to win the prize by bonding with the director or there is something wrong. You're a fair player, so there's gotta be something wrong… The Ash I know doesn't do these kinda things."

She frowned, still looking away. "What do you know about me, Mr Moon… "

He racked his brain for an answer. "I was a teen once." She gave him one of the most annoyed looks he had ever seen, but he didn't seem to mind it as he carried on. "I know what teens do when they're upset." She laughed.

"Most uptight teen ever?" Buster cocked a brow, but kept his tone.

"That's exactly what they do. They try to put on a cool act so no one can see how they feel… But deep down, all they want is to let it all out. And you know that, because you're wanting to let it all out now." He earned more mocking laughter.

"What, are you some kinda wise old man now? The type who knows it all and walks around giving away some of his precious wisdom?"

"No, I just lived. That's all."

"Not enough to know me right away!"

"Maybe not you, but your mindset yes. You feel like you gotta hide your feelings from the world because you don't want anyone to think you're weak." He began. She outright froze in place. "You're afraid you're gonna be judged, and people will think less of you-"

"That's not true!" She interrupted, feeling tears come to her eyes. She tried her best to fight them back, unsuccessfully.

" _That_ is what I'm talking about. You hide your tears and fears because you're afraid, and Ash, it's okay to be afraid! You aren't less for being afraid, if anything, you are MORE!"

"ENOUGH!" She yelled, sound echoing in the empty halls. She grabbed her backpack.

"Ash…"

"It was a mistake coming in here!" She pushed the doors open, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Ash, come back, don't- Streets are dangerous at this hour!"

"Walked all the way up here without a scratch, and see where it took me." She venomously spat out, shutting the doors closed. Buster was just about to run after her when he had a better idea. He quickly scribbled some words in the back of a pizza flier that was sitting by and ran to the main entry, grabbing his bike, and quickly picking up with her.

"At least don't go alone. Get on, I'll give you a ride." Ash simply shook her head, prompting him to climb off the bike. He stood in front of her, and held onto one of her wrists.

"Let go!" She said, trying to break free. She couldn't believe how strong Buster was. And didn't notice when he slipped a small piece of paper into her bag.

"Come on, Ash. Get on… I'll take you home and you won't hear my voice or see my face unless you come to the theatre tomorrow. How does that sound?" He said, letting go of her. She sighed and went up to the bike. A quiet ride after, she stood in front of her apartment door. Opening it, she looked back to make sure the koala had left.

She was tired, and sad, and wanted to sink through the floor. She knew he was right, but wasn't going to let him know that, let alone give him the pleasure of seeing her tears. She had heated up some food and was sitting down at the couch eating when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey um… It's me, listen, I left some things at your place, I tried going there sooner but there was no one. I'm kinda heading there right now. You home?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, _wait_. You are-" She paused to steady her voice and wipe her nose. "What?"

"Heading there. Hello, Miss Airhead? Aren't you listening to me? I gotta pick up my clothes and cash if you want me to move out. Are you home?"

"You can't just come here!"

"Too late. Just pulled over. Oh good, lights on. Open the door."

"No!" Her voice cracked. The voice on the other side sighed.

"Ash, this will take no longer than a minute. Then you can go back to your crying, and drowning your sorrows, or going back to wherever you were not too long ago."

She hung up, and was determined not to open the door. Lance rang, and rang, and rang, and rang.

"Darling you don't even have to be there if you don't like it!" She heard a feminine voice say, "You can leave for a little while for me and Lan-Lan to pick up his stuff!"

Ash didn't know if she wanted to cry for being cheated on, or if she wanted to laugh at the nickname Becky had given Lance. She gave a somewhat teary laugh. Not too long after, she heard the doorknob turn.

"Still have the key." Lance said teasingly, tossing the keys into open air just to catch them afterwards.

Ash wasn't facing them. It took all she had not to start crying as she spoke. "Might be a good time to turn them in."

He rolled his eyes and threw the keys to her, as he picked a couple of boxes off the ground. "Yours to keep. See you around, Ash." With that, he closed the door.

Ash laid her plate down and let herself lay flat at the couch, hugging her backpack, trying to avoid more tears. One tighter grip plopped a piece of paper from the bag. She picked it up. Pizza? But she never… She then proceeded to flip the paper, and instantly recognized the handwriting.

 _I will never judge your tears. Sorry for pushing you. If you need anything, ranging from a shoulder to cry on to a hug, or even if you just want to beat someone up until you feel better (although that'd be painful to me) give me a call. 956-4491_

 _-Buster_

 **A/N: This is it guys, first chapter. Rate and review :D**


	2. How can you mend a Broken Heart

Buster sat at his office, unable to sleep. He meant for the best. He didn't meant to make Ash even more upset, let alone make her mad at him. He braced himself for the fact Ash may never return to the theatre.

"Less another one." He sighed, organizing one of his many stacks of documents. "One of the best, too."

Being avid to finish the minor cleanup, and being the workaholic he knew he was, he took a nap above the big pile of papers. That is, until a very annoying buzz woke him up. Unknown number. He froze for a moment. Everyone that usually called him had their numbers registered.

"Hello, this is Mr Moon. How may I help you?"

"You wouldn't take a beating."

Buster wasn't out from his sleeping state yet, and yawned. "Ash?"

"Took you long enough." She said with a light chuckle. "But a beating? Seriously? You'd take one if it meant me feeling better?"

"As long as it didn't put my life in risk," he began, laughing, "I'd gladly take it. I'm so sorry Ash."

"I know you are."

"I meant for the best."

"Listen, Mr Moon, it's fine. I didn't really call you to hear apologies, it's another thing. S-Say uh… Can you maybe…" She was at loss for words. Was she really going to invite a stranger that strange into her house? "Come on over?"

Buster jolted out of his sleepy state. "Come on over? You mean, to your house? You're inviting me over to your house?"

"Yeah, sorta. I mean, not like, inviting you for a sleepover or something." She sighed. "It's just, I, I ordered food and everything, and just thought I could use some company."

Buster stared blankly at the wall. His brain had just been erased.

"Mr Moon? You… Alive?"

After a few moments, he replied. "Um… Yeah, yeah, alive but um… Listen kid, we- You sure?"

She took a few seconds to reflect before nodding to herself. "Yeah. We eat, and watch a movie, or talk…"

"Okay then, uh… Do I have your address or you had me drop you a few houses from your actual house so I wouldn't know where you lived?"

She laughed softly. "Wouldn't have accepted your ride if I didn't want to be dropped right home."

"308 Negra Arroyo Lane?"

"You got it."

"Be right there. See you, Ash."

In the respective free times they had before meeting one another, they kept thinking about their soon-to-be meeting. Ash couldn't believe she had invited him. She was usually really cautious of those who went into her house, and she had just invited a stranger, much older than her, by the way, into her house. Her. House. He didn't seem to be the kind that'd cause anyone any harm, but you can never tell these things. Buster, on the other hand, was worried if seeing someone as young as Ash this late at night could frame him for pedophilia. Especially if someone saw them together. Both shook off their thoughts, and prepared for the actual meeting.

A good ten minutes later, Buster arrived, finding the delivery boy going straight to the house. He decided to prank her a little for a start, taking all bags he carried and ringing the intercom.

"Who is there?"

"Groceries delivery."

Ash opened the door, just as the 'delivery boy' walked into her apartment, loaded with a few bags.

"Hey, you can't just-" She began, but stopped when she saw the small figure holding a pizza box right in front of his face. She laughed. "You look like a pizza box with ears."

Lowering the box, Buster wore his signature smile. "Hey, I am the only reason you're actually getting the alcoholic drinks you asked for." He laughed, "No one wants trouble with the law, not even the cheap market you ordered all this from. So, where do I leave it?"

"Table, please. Where's the actual delivery boy?"

"Has been paid, don't worry. It's on me tonight!" He said, enthusiastically. She rolled her eyes and closed the door.

"Thanks, Mr Moon."

"Call me Buster for the night. When you said you had ordered food, I thought you meant a pizza, or Chinese, not a full out groceries shop! These should keep you for a week or so." He dusted his hands off, and Ash could finally take a good look at him.

He was formal, as always. It was practically his basic form, she figured. Didn't have his usual tie on, having instead a scarf of some sort. Aside from that, he wore khaki pants and a white social shirt. He looked… Kinda beautiful? Ash mentally slapped herself for thinking that. Although she had to admit: Even if she didn't let him know it, she liked his weird self. There was something innocent and happy about Buster that she adored.

"Want help putting these away?" He asked. "Hate feeling like I caused a mess at someone's house."

She shook her head and went back into reality. "You didn't cause it, it gets like this whenever Lance doesn't go to-" No. She wasn't going there. " _I_ don't go to the grocery store for a while."

He turned to look at her. He knew she was a mess, but knew better than to push her yet more. If she wanted to talk about it, she'd be the one to bring it up. Both then proceeded to stash the many items Ash had delivered at her house.

"So, you live alone?"

"Well… Yeah, now I do. Do you really live at the theatre?"

"Want a better place to live?" He smiled. She laughed.

"You really love the business don't you."

"With heart, soul and body. Been wanting to work with it since I was a kid."

"Some kids just want to be astronauts." This was Buster's turn to laugh.

Aside from that, they only discussed frivolous subjects, from what was in the newspaper to the shows Buster had held at the theatre in the past. He took extra care not to mention his problems with the bank, his opinion on anyone's singing skills, and the fact that the great $100,000 prize was in fact $938 and $100 dollars worth of junk. Everything put away, Ash put the pizza in the oven and joined Buster in the living room.

"Found anything good?" She asked. He was laughing like an idiot. Who would've thought she'd see the theatre director at her house, laying flat at the ground, and laughing like there was no tomorrow. Trying to contain himself, he held up a copy of _The Proposal_.

"You have this DVD! You've watched this!" He laughed even more. "It's like the cheesiest romantic movie ever!"

"It's not mine!" She said, remembering clearly of the one Valentines Day Lance and her had watched it.

"Then where is it from, a rental store? Haven't seen one of those since… Well… Well. I think you weren't born by the last time I saw one of those!" She blinked. Was he… _Teasing_ her?

"Maybe La- Someone left it here, I don't know." She said nervously.

"Relax Ash, I'm just messing with you." He winked, while picking up another one. _Casablanca_. "Hm, good taste you got! This is a great one! Let's watch this?"

She cracked up laughing. "How old are you, a hundred?! That movie is so old it doesn't even have colors!"

Buster simply put up a fake annoyed tone in his voice. "Hey, for one, I'm 42 and a half. And for two, this movie is classical! This is one of the first movies I've ever seen, I was 6 I think, and grabbed hold of a cassette tape containing this beauty."

"You grabbed hold of a what?"

"Cassette tape. It's the mother of DVDs. It was heavy, you had to rewind it, it could easily get ruined due to the 'tape', but those were the times!"

"Wow."

"What?"

"You talk like an old guy." She laughed. He rolled his eyes, turning the DVD player on. Both took a seat at the beat-up couch.

"You won't regret watching this. It's like the best movie ever!" Ash simply nodded and flashed him a little smile.

 **A/N: Kudos to whoever catches the Breaking Bad reference. Rate and review, if you like it :)**


	3. Hot N' Cold

**A/N: WARNING! FEELS TRAIN INCOMING.**

A movie and pizza later, both sat at the couch telling stories. Still determined to find out what was wrong, and learn more about her, Buster shared stories about his immediate family, more specifically his dad.

"I'm serious! This one time he got fully covered in car oil!" They were laughing their hearts out. "I can't believe he actually got to clean his clothes! It was a miracle! The stains at the car wash remained for the longest while too." He finished. Ash had laughed so much it got to a point that she was crying.

"He sounds like a great guy." She wiped some tears.

"He was. I miss him so much." His ears lowered a bit.

"What happened?"

"My dad was kinda… Really old. He became my dad when he was 37. He worked at the car wash for another 30, 10 years later his heart decided to give out… I know it's been two years but it feels like yesterday and I miss him a lot." She moved over and hugged him, surprising the koala, who hugged her back the best he could, aware of the sharp quills going down Ash's back. _Please, please, whoever is on the other line there, help me here._ "So yeah, that's my story. What's yours?"

"Excuse me?"

Whoever Buster was praying to had other plans for him.

"Come on, I want to know your story. Everybody has one, I'm just kinda curious that's all, but if you don't want to-"

"My parents are very strict."

 _Finally_ , he thought.

"They never supported me being a rocker, and I kinda ran away from home…-"

"How old were you?"

"15. I still see them around, and I'm afraid sometime they'll just come and get me and take me back in. That's why I avoid going outlaw outside the house."

"Outlaw?"

"I drink, Buster. In case you hadn't it figured out by now. Can't wait to turn 18… That way if someone catches me or if they find me they can't just take me back."

"But they don't want you back." She looked at him with a look that was a mix of shock and confusion. "I mean, they could've called the police already if they know where you live-"

"They don't."

"Well they know where you _perform_ at least, if you are afraid of finding them out there."

"Schedule's all over the place."

"Even higher chances they find you, then."

Long moment of silence.

"I know I am going into something I know nothing about, but I think… I think, in their own way, they are proud of you."

"They think I'm a disappointment." Her face was a mix of sadness and anger.

"No they don't."

"Why would they say it to my face then, uh?"

Buster sighed. He had a way of bringing up questions he didn't know how to answer.

"I still think they love you."

Ash stood up. "You should meet them, then." She then went into her room, aware of her companion locking the door, and laying down pulling the covers over herself. He really didn't know how to make someone feel better. She didn't know what had gotten into her to tell him about her family, but she had done it, and now she was regretting it. It was bad enough having to live with your parents thinking you are crap, but hearing someone say that that's the way they love you is even worse. She was on the verge or tears when she heard the knob turn.

" _You need a hug or something?"_

She sighed. _He should have gotten the message._

" _Come on, I'm not gonna leave until I'm sure you're okay."_

She didn't answer. He could sleep just outside her door, for all she cared. She'd just jump the window, like she did many times before.

Many times before…

" _So that is where you've been going every night? Rehearsing with those, rehearsing with those…_ Elements _?" Michael spat out. "My daughter is not going to mix with that kind of people!"_

" _They're my_ friends _!"_

" _I don't care! No more of that as long as you live with me! Enough of this acting, this, this_ devilish _music-"_

" _It's called rock!"_

" _And enough of that Matthew!" He said, pointing out to a male porcupine sitting across the room, and then sending his hand crashing down his daughter's face. "What are you thinking?! Dating a_ low-life _? Not in my house! You were raised better than that!"_

" _What did we ever do to you?" Marina said, incredulous and crying. "You have everything in your life! You have loving parents, you attend a good school, you have a roof above your head!"_

" _Never underestimate what bad companions can do, honey. But I'll fix this."_

" _Wait dad, what are you-"_

" _Enough of this music!" He said, throwing her guitar off the window. "Enough of this, this JUNK!" He said, pulling out several posters from her walls. "And_ definitely _enough of YOU!" He said, yanking Matthew from the ground and holding him at his grip. "I'm gonna let you choose. Either you get out of here by the door, or by the window, or dead, I don't mind any, BUT YOU ARE OUT OF THIS HOUSE!" He said, kicking the male porcupine out the door._

 _Ash was shocked. She had just seen her whole life collapse around her._

" _AND YOU!"_

 _She looked up._

" _GROUNDED! IF YOU'RE NOT IN THIS ROOM, YOU BETTER BE IN SCHOOL, OR AT THE LIBRARY, OR AT CHURCH, OR DEAD UNDER A CAR! You are not going to attend any rock shows, nor meet up with anyone, you are going to do your chores, AND you are not leaving to see the fireworks on New Years!"_

" _Dad, please! Those fireworks are-" He smacked her face._

" _I don't care! You are NOT seeing those fireworks this year, and if they mean that much to you maybe for another two or three years."_

 _She was crying. She was crying more than all times she had cried in her life put together. "I HATE YOU!"_

" _AND I HATE YOU TOO!" He kicked her. "YOU PIECE OF SCUM, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE RAT!" Putting himself together again, he adjusted his tie and conducted his wife out of the room. "Let's go, sweetheart." He said, turning back. "And these rules come into effect right now. Go wash your face, and get rid of those nasty clothes. We wait you downstairs for dinner."_

 _She didn't think twice. She grabbed her school backpack, stuffed it with as many clothes as she could, grabbed some personal items she could fit into the smaller pockets, bid her room a final goodbye, and climbed down the vines that grew just outside her window._

Ash was crying, trying not to be too loud. She knew Buster was there, she could see his tiny feet under the door.

" _Ash?"_

She took a moment to react. Little time later, she heard a defeated sigh, followed by footsteps.

She wiped her eyes and chased after the sound. Wanting or not, the koala was the one person she could turn to now.

"Mr Moon!"

He turned immediately. "Yes?"

Her face was stained with tears. She was the definition of a mess.

 **A/N: Thanks to all reviewers, and my friends Kathryn & Melaena,** **who keep me going. Rate and review, if you please :)**


	4. You've Got a Friend in Me

Ash was tired, exhausted maybe. She didn't remember feeling like this before, not even that day that she stood awake for two days until her grades came. This was more tiring, and felt worst. She wasn't going to tell him anything, not today, and definitely not now, she just didn't want to be alone. Buster was standing right in front of her, and came closer.

"Can I?" She nodded. He embraced her, and she returned the gesture.

Neither knew for how long they held each other.

"I'm too tired to explain anything to you right now." He faced her. "Tomorrow, after the rehearsal, can we talk about it?"

"Your choice." He smiled. "Take your time. I just want to know one thing."

"What's that?"

"Is there a way I can hug you without getting stung?"

She giggled. "Put your hands _through_ the quills, not over them."

He did as told. "Ah. Better, thanks." She laughed a little. "So, what do you want me here for, read you a bedtime story?" He said, teasingly. Ash stared at him.

"Very funny."

"Come on, you didn't ask me to stay just to have a cuddle buddy."

"Maybe I did."

He froze. "Wait, you serious?"

"No."

More laughter. Buster yawned.

"Listen kid, I'd love to sit here and just do whatever but I kinda got an appointment tomorrow and… It's important." He tried pulling away, only to be pulled back into Ash's arms.

"You told me to call you if I needed anything. You can sleep here, there's plenty of space. I just…" She sighed. "I don't wanna be alone."

He gave her a tender smile. "You aren't. I'm here with you." She was clinging onto him as if her life depended of it. He couldn't help but wonder what'd make a teenager as tough as Ash turn into an emotional wreckage such as this. He had a clue, but didn't know for sure. But whatever it was, he was more than willing to help her overcome it.

"It's okay… What happened, is going to be okay. So let's get you to bed, okay?" She nodded. He took her to her room and gently laid her down, sitting down by her side.

"So, once upon a time there was a couple of siblings…" She laughed and punched his leg softly.

"Stop it."

"When would I get another chance?" He chuckled. "Comfortable?" She gave him a nod. "Good. I'll be out there at the couch if you need me. Good night."

"Good night." She accompanied the movement of the door until it was completely shut, and went to sleep.

Buster, on the other hand, took a long time to fall asleep. Not because laying on the couch literally felt like resting upon quills; he was rehearsing in his mind what he'd say to Nana when he met her the following morning. It was easy. He'd go in there, be flattening, and hopefully get out with $100 grand. _Must be_ change _if you have millions._ He thought, wryly. He took off his shirt and tossed it to the ground, adjusting himself at the less-than-comfortable couch.

In the middle of the night, a loud crashing sound startled him awake. Something out at the streets. He dragged himself to the window. Bad car crash just outside the block. Seemed like a fight was close to erupting. He shut the window and closed the blinds, turning just in time to see Ash standing in the doorway.

"This is normal around here, it's not exactly the best part of town."

He laughed. "It is just a fine part of town, Ash. Depends of how you look at it. Plus, I am awaken very easily…" He started scratching his ears. She laughed. "I think I am a light sleeper."

"Yeah, that's probably the case."

Buster smiled. He was finally coming to terms with her. And Ash had to admit, when he wasn't trying to get her to sing pop songs or wear a dress, he was a pretty funny guy. He was a funny guy, and he was shirtless. She blushed. He quickly covered himself.

"Sorry!" He said, holding his shirt against himself. "I sleep like this at home and I kinda, well…"

"I-It's fine." She turned away. _Why does he look kinda good?_ She thought to herself.

"I'm just gonna…" He laid down at the couch. "Go back to sleep."

Silence.

"It feels like a rock there." He turned. She shrugged. "I gotta double bed in there, if you want to maybe sleep there…"

He froze. "With you?"

"It's not like we gotta engage into anything." She said, matter-of-factly. "It's just so you don't walk like the Hunchback of Notre Dame tomorrow."

"That's a nice movie." He stood up. "Okay, offer taken."

Not too long after, both laid in a bed, staring at the ceiling, and not knowing what to do or say. She was starting to think this wasn't the best idea, but she wasn't going to ask him to leave.

"Have you even written a song?"

She turned. "What?"

"Songs. You have any?"

"No, not yet…"

"Hm. You should write."

She sat in silence for a little while, then turned to him. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you think I should write?"

"I don't know… You kinda seem like you got a lot of story to tell. Just a thought."

"I kinda co-wrote a song. But that was a long time ago…"

"What was it about?"

"Freedom. My friend gave me a melody, and I wrote the lyrics."

"Is it a good song?"

"You tell me." She was about to grab her guitar. He stopped her.

"I trust your opinion. Is it a good song?"

"No, it was plain… I don't know, dramatic and cliché."

"Doesn't make it a bad song." He smiled, getting off the bed and picking her guitar up. "Play it. Got the key?"

"Kinda, it's somewhere here- Wait. What do you want with the key?"

"Guess." He winked, picking up an old guitar that was sitting there.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes. I played in a rock band in my teen years. I was the guitarist."

"You, in a rock band?"

"What, don't I look like a rocker?" He posed. She laughed.

"Oh my god." Her mouth was agape. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. " _You_ play something."

He laughed. "I don't remember much, Ash. Plus, I only played a punk song once, and it was because my friend begged me to do it."

"Play anything."

"I'm gonna play a very old song."

"Fine by me."

He cocked a brow, tuning the guitar. "If you want me to play, you'll have to play." She nodded. He then proceeded to play The Donkey Brothers' _Listen to The Music._ Just the few broken parts he remembered from playing with his friends when they had free time. He finished, and put the guitar down.

"Nice voice."

"Thanks. Your turn." He smirked. She froze.

"Been a while since I last played this."

"It's been twenty two years since I last grabbed a guitar, and will you look at that." He winked.

After playing a few notes on the guitar, she hummed along with a song she called 'Freedom is a Voice'. At the end, Buster couldn't believe what he had just heard. She was a great composer, and had a voice that'd go with any genre.

"Wow." She blushed a bit, and thanked heavens the room was dark. "You got a beautiful voice."

"Thanks, Mr Moon."

"Buster. Save Mr Moon for the theatre." He winked. "We should be sleeping."

"It's 2:30 in the morning. Night's young!"

"But this koala ain't!" He mocked. Both laughed.

"You know… Outside the theatre, you're a funny guy."

He laughed and bowed. "Thank you very much. And you are a sweetheart outside the theatre, mind I say." She laughed, then came closer to him. "Ash."

"Let it happen." She gave him a soft kiss. He rested his hands on her sides, gently holding her back.

"Ash, this is wrong."

"There's no one here besides us."

"I can get arrested."

"No one will know about this." She tried kissing him again, but was stopped.

"You know what? I think you had a rough rough day today, and are about to do something you'll regret later."

"You're right. I had a terrible day. And it would be nice to add something good to it."

"Not if it is something we both regret later."

"Are you going to regret it?"

"Well, when I'm sitting at my cold and dark jail cell I may regret it." She rolled her eyes.

"Nobody has the keys to here and all windows are closed."

"You'll also regret it, Ash."

"I won't."

"Listen… Have a good night of sleep, okay? None of us is fine enough to make any decisions right now, you had a couple shots, I had a couple shots, and I'm not about to take advantage of you. I need… To think."

There was a remarkable pause before she replied.

"After you return the kiss."

"Excuse me?"

"After, and _if_ you return the kiss I lay it down until tomorrow." She leaned in again. Altho reluctant, Buster shyly kissed her back. She sat on his lap, and rested both his hands at her waist. After a while, they pulled away, and connected foreheads.

"Ah. This was good."

"In a… Weird sorta way, maybe." She was gently rubbing his back. He groaned. "That feels good."

She smiled. "I used to do this to my brother to calm him down."

"You have a younger brother? That's nice."

"Yeah, I miss him. I wish I could visit him without my parents finding out."

He gave her a sympathetic look and planted a kiss on her cheek. She blushed and looked up at him. He shrugged. "We went farther."

"We did."

He then embraced her. She pecked his neck. "Hey."

"Come on…"

"Ash, don't do this right now."

"It's just kissing, it's not like you're taking away my first kiss or something." He was going to protest, but got pinned in the bed.

"Oh my god." He covered his face. "Ash, you're old enough to be my _daughter_!"

She shrugged. "So?"

"Ha! So? I'm the only one feeling awkward?"

"Pretty much." She started gently massaging his shoulders. "Relax. If I hadn't told you my age, it wouldn't matter now." She kissed his neck. He tensed, and held her back.

"Tomorrow. You said you'd lay it off until tomorrow if I kissed you. Don't rush it… Think about it, and let me think about it, okay?"

She let out a defeated sigh, then laid down next to the koala, who hugged her close.

"Don't be like that."

"It's okay." She said faintly.

"I'm going to ask you something, and you reply if you want to."

His voice was unexpectedly serious. "Say it."

"It's about a boy. Isn't it?" She didn't answer. He sighed. _It was right at your face, Buster. Why else would anyone kiss you?_ He was her perfect outlet from the situation, and he knew it.

"Sleep tight." He muttered, gently pecking her forehead. "Tomorrow when you wake up I'll probably be gone to my appointment, and rehearsal is in the afternoon."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get the pri- get a loan. To pay for some repairs at the theatre." He lied, "Since _someone_ destroyed my window."

She was running her fingertips at his bare chest, and chuckled. "Hey, I can point a hundred things you should fix before that."

"That's all? I can point two hundred." He smirked. "But no one's gonna lend money to a koala which seemingly spent the night playing cards."

"Silly."

"When occasion requires." He turned off the light. "Night, Ash."

"Good night… Buster."

Both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

 **A/N: Freedom is a Voice is actually a song by Bobby McFerrin, but I thought about an escapee Ash living in the streets composing and thought "eh, why not?" As done with Zootopia, bands get different names in the Sing universe here, and yes, the song Buster sang was The Doobie Brothers' Listen to the Music. I like the ship, but I do like it classy. Sorry leaving you Bustash fans so unsatisfied, but as you can guess, of COURSE some more romance will happen. XD Rate and review!**


	5. I Walk the Line

Ash sat in bed rubbing her forehead. She had made bad mistakes, but that was sure to be #1 on the list. She wondered if it was a dream. She _wished_ it was a dream. No. There was no way in hell she kissed Buster. It had to be a dream. But… What if it wasn't? How would she ever look at his face again? She was lost in her own thoughts, when the sound of something metallic crashing to the ground startled her. Chasing after the sound, she found a distressed koala sitting on the ground, and holding his ears. Around him, a variety of pans and pots.

"I washed the dishes, and when I was putting them back, BOOM!" He was motioning agitatedly with his hands. "Sorry I woke you up."

She gave him a somewhat nervous smile. "You didn't wake me, Buster."

"I didn't?" He faced her for a moment, and scratched his head. "Uh! Good. I made you breakfast! I'd eat, but I'm kinda very late and still gotta drop by the theatre to grab my stuff. Mind if I borrow the mug?" He finished, waving a steaming mug in the air. By his actions, she deducted it was coffee.

"Sure, no problem." She was looking for anything to confirm her doubt, but found nothing. It was a crazy dream. It had to be.

"And I still gotta iron this one, great!" He said, putting his creased shirt on hurriedly. "I see you at rehearsal. Thanks for letting me stay the night, and the pizza, and movie, the all. See you!"

He ran out the door, slamming it on his way out. _The all._ What was that supposed to mean? She sat down in thought, munching on whatever was it that Buster had prepared. Both of them kissing didn't seem likely to her, but that could've been because her maybe-companion was in a hurry. She took another piece of the yellow and brown mix. It tasted kinda good. Reminded her of mash potatoes, and something else she couldn't quite identify. But it tasted good. She heard a knock on the door.

"Come on in, it's open!"

"Didn't take you too long to find someone else." She almost choked on her food.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were just _waiting_ for me to jump out before sticking to the koala, right? And I gave you that!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"That's why you went back, right?! You were seeing him, don't try to hide it, I saw him leaving the building!"

"Lance, he came here to eat and watch a movie!"

"Oh yeah, in the morning, fine, I believe you."

"Why are you here? I don't owe you any explanation on what I'm doing!"

"I thought _I_ was the only cheater, that's why I'm here."

"I'm not-" She laughed nervously. "I can't believe I'm listening to this! You're out of your mind! Buster is a FRIEND!"

"He is? Uh… I wonder how did you went from 'Mr Moon' to 'Buster' so quick."

"Do you call your friends by their last name? Last time I checked, you didn't."

"So I'm imagining all this? You didn't go back because of him, it isn't a coincidence that just the other day after we break up I see him walking out of _our_ house?"

"I went back for us! Both of us! We'd start a label, and the world would know your songs! How did this end up being my fault?!"

"You kicked me out!"

"You were about to kiss someone else, Lance!"

"At least I tried to hide."

"Ha! _Tried to hide?_ You BROUGHT your lover to our house, Lance, our house! Who does that?!"

"You just had to come home early that one day, you had to."

"It's my fault I found you cheating? That's what you're saying?" She practically jumped off the chair.

He put his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying… If you hadn't come home earlier you wouldn't have found out and wouldn't be like that now, babes. Can't you just forget about that?"

She was staring at his incredulously, and couldn't believe her ears. "You cheated Lance! CHEATED, with all letters! Do you expect I'm just going to forgive you for that?!"

"It was a one day thing!"

"Get out of here!"

"Come on, we can start over!"

"I don't-!" The words clogged in her throat. "I don't _want_ to. How long will it take until you cheat again?!"

"You also did!"

"We had split up!"

He froze, smirking and cocking an eyebrow. "So you have something with him."

She sighed. "I don't know for sure."

"That's just how much I meant to you, we break up one day and the following one you are with someone else."

She stared at him venomously. "I _waited_ for us to break up before getting together with someone."

"Okay, okay, babes, that's fine. But let me tell you something, you ain't getting the prize by sleeping with the director."

She choked on her food. "I'm not hearing this!"

"It's not how it works, babes. The guy wants to increase the popularity of that joint, he is going to choose the best performer."

"Stop talking!"

"If that's your strategy, you better just drop it now."

It took all Ash had not to throw something at him. She detested violence, but he was already pushing. She adjusted her quills, and turned to him. "We." She motioned to him, and herself again. "Are not a thing. Get it? This here, is over. I don't owe you anything about who I date, or kiss, and neither do you. You are free to date whoever wants this crazy personality around."

"Crazy?!"

"DO YOU HAVE A BETTER NAME FOR IT?!" Her voice broke, and she couldn't hold her tears back. "You bring your lover to our house, and the next day you barge in here complaining I brought a friend over, let alone assuming I _slept_ with him?! Crazy really isn't the word, Lance, you're absolutely nuts! You are the cheater! You!" She said, closing the space between them, and pointing an inquiring finger at his chest. "And now you are jealous over someone that you aren't dating anymore!"

"More like wondering if you cheated first."

"Are we at high sch-" She swallowed hard. "I didn't. Is that what you wanted to hear? That I was actually _loyal_ to you while you saw others?"

"I did it once!"

"One or one thousand times, it doesn't matter! It's cheating nonetheless!"

He seemed to give her words a thought. "Depends on how you see it."

"I see it that way. Now please, _please_ get out."

He went to the door, and gave her a last glance. "Sure you never cheated?"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" She shut the door in his face. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She slammed her forehead against the door. Blaming her over his cheating? He had to be out of his mind.

* * *

Buster was very excited. At least he had a chance to get the money, and of course he was not wishing to waste it. It couldn't be more perfect: He'd get the blueprints he had done with an architect years prior, put it to use, and put together the best singing competition the world had ever seen. It was perfect! But he was running out of time. He ran into the theatre excitedly.

"Okay okay, break time's over! Everybody to the stage please, gather up!"

He paused when going past Ash. The rocker was staring down, avoiding his glaze. He merely shrug it off for now. He had something important to do.

"Miss Crawly!"

"Yes, Mr Moon?"

"Go get D4, please! It should be in our files!"

"D4?" Johnny asked, as the lizard climbed up the stairs.

"It's the number of a file, Johnny, don't worry!" Buster started, "Now, listen up! Tomorrow we're gonna have a full preview of the show, and our audience will be none other than Miss Nana Noodleman!"

And came that bratty, annoying voice no one liked to hear. "Nana Noodleman, that woman still alive?"

"Yes, _and believe me_ , she's got some pretty high standards! Today we are going to have a full dress rehearsal! I want to see you all light up that stage!"

"Got it, Mr Moon."

"Great! Meena, Miss Crawly!" He opened the blueprints to a beautiful, and entirely squid-powered stage. "What ya think?"

Miss Crawly seemed surprised. "So ambitious…"

"Yeah." Meena agreed. "You sure about this?"

"I promised Nana something spectacular, and this!" He quickly folded it back. "This is gonna blow her away! Two minutes everybody!" He finished, taking place at the first row of seats, and motioning for his doddering assistant to follow him. "Putting it simple, guys! Mike first, than Ash, Gunter and Rosita, Johnny as the final act! One more time, Mike, Ash, Gunter and Rosita, Johnny as the final act! Meena, if you feel like it, tag along!"

Mike went on stage and started singing to Fox Sinatra's _New York_ , as all other animals sat, patiently waiting for their turn. However, they noticed Johnny was not there, but knew better than to warn Buster. They had a feeling the koala would not care for that. All they could do was hope he'd be there in time.

Ash was lost in her own thoughts, and was barely listening to whichever joke Gunter was telling. All she could make out were the words "priest", "rabbi" and "minister". Not too long after, the cast broke into laughter, but all she could do was give a weak smile. She wanted Lance back, and it took the power of every fiber of her being to turn him down. And now that power was replaced by acute regret. She didn't want to sing, she wanted to go back to her house and cry herself to sleep.

"Okay, can we see Ash next please? Ash, let's get you out here!"

She sighed and stood up, slowly going onstage.

"Stand back. Moody teenager comin' through." She heard Mike mock. On a normal day she just would've wanted to step on him, but this time she couldn't care less. He could mock her all he wished.

"Good luck, Ash." Came a soothing voice. She smiled a little under her breath. Meena had a way of always sounding sweet and caring no matter what she said. She walked to the mic, as the beat started. That's just what she needed, the most annoying song in the world… Which happened to be about love.

"I threw a wish in the well, don't ask me I'll never tell, I looked to you as it fell, and now you're in my way…" She could feel her eyes burning, and regret, and sadness. "Your stare was holdin'. Ripped jeans, skin was showin', hot night, wind was blowin'. Where do you think you're going baby?" She could no longer hold her tears, and finished the song sobbing. "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number… So call me, maybe…" She covered the mic with her hands.

"Whoa whoa, okay, enough of that! Cut it, cut it! Cut it." He rose from his seat. "I don't think anyone's gonna call her after that." His mind flashed back to the previous night. Maybe… No. They didn't went _that_ far for her to be regretting it. "Hey… Come on, Ash, what is it? Do you not like the dress?" He asked sympathetically. She ran to the wings, accidentally sending quills flying all over the place.

"Ow." Buster said, as some quills got stuck to his face. "Ow!" He finished, pulling one of them out.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Rosita said, as Ash rushed right past her.

"Okay, let's call it a break! Five minutes everybody!"

"Okay dear, sit with us and tell me exactly what happened." Rosita soothingly said, while rubbing Ash's back. Trying, at least. More like avoiding quills the best she could. Meena laid down the controllers for now, and listened intently to the porcupine. Mike couldn't care less, and left the theatre. Gunter merely stood against a wall, whilst Johnny still was nowhere to be seen.

"I have a-" Ash begun, wiping her tears. "I _had_ a boyfriend, who cheated on me… Just the other night, I caught him close to kissing someone, at our living room."

"Sohn einer Hündin!" Gunter exclaimed.

"That he said!" Meena added, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Oh for heaven's sake let her finish!"

"He cheated… And today he dropped by saying he wondered if I had cheated, and asking to forget about it." She sniffed. Rosita lifted a hand in air.

"Why would he ask if you cheated?"

"He saw a friend leaving the house. I had called him the previous night and asked him to drop by, we watched a movie, played a couple songs in the guitar, and ended up falling asleep."

Buster was listening intentionally from a distance, and wondered if she didn't want to share what happened between them, or if she wanted to forget what happened between them. But that didn't matter. At least he knew the entire story now. It was time.

"So he asked if I didn't want to put all that behind, and start again, and I said no, and now I'm regretting it."

Rosita intervened. "Oh, don't you be like that! You are _way_ better off without that… That…"

"That total super-jerk dinkleschplatt!"

"Exactly! Total, super-jerk, dinkle… Schplatt." Rosita spoke it the best she could. She had no idea what it meant, but spoke it for the lack of a better word.

"Rosita, Gunter! You're on!"

"Okay, here!" She added, pushing her purse towards Ash. "There should be some gum or some candy in there, just help yourself!"

She smiled the best she could, and felt a warm feeling flushing her heart. She didn't knew Rosita, or Gunter, or Meena three days prior to this, and here they were, trying to cheer her up. She smiled, and opened the purse to pull out a small gum box that was sitting there. Johnny rushed in. He seemed to be in a hurry. She saw him and Rosita exchange words, then their respective presentations. Saw Rosita fall face first to the ground, and leave upset by all matters, and Johnny both present and leave as hurriedly as he came in.

"Okay everybody! Uh..." Buster rubbed his temples. "I got half a cast here, practice at your homes and let's call it a day! Gunter, dismissed! Meena, dismissed for now, but stay tuned, I'm gonna call you later! Miss Crawly... Please phone the ones who have left and ask them to practice. Ash, my office please!"

 **A/N: Try to guess what Sohn einer Hündin means. You guessed right, as it means "son of a *beep!*". Trying my best not to put dirty words into this, good thing I got Gunter to say them in another language for me! Also I get the feeling I should stop with the puns involving singer's names, but I simply can't. Rate & Review! Thanks to all reviewers!**


	6. Freedom is a Voice

**A/N: I'd like to thank all my reviewers for their reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feels train coming through!**

"First things first, I'm sorry my presence caused… That."

Ash was sitting down at Buster's office, resting her head upon his desk. Beside her, the koala sat, gently rubbing her back.

"Now that I know the whole story, I think it makes it easier for us to talk about it."

She looked up at him, but remained silent. He merely rested his head on the table, facing her.

"Do you not want to talk about it? That's fine too… I also got something to say."

"I can't believe he did that."

"Huh. Tell me about it. If I knew, I'd have brought you back here." He chuckled. She sadly smiled up at him. "Okay, bad time for a joke. Got it. Carry on."

"How much did you hear down there?"

"My ears are the size of my head. How much do you think I heard down there?" She giggled.

"Everything?"

"Ding ding ding! We got a winner to the prize of a hundred thousand do-"

She playfully pushed him. "Stop that."

"I'm sorry." He fixed his hair. "I don't like seeing you like that."

"I'll get over it."

"I know you will, you're the toughest girl I ever met."

She blushed, and finally looked at him in the eyes.

"But you know… Even the tougher can use help sometimes…" He was gently brushing against her arm. "So why don't you tell me exactly what happened? From the beginning."

"There's not much I can say… I went looking for a band to join, got this audition and presented with these guys from here, to see public reception. Peter, Bobby, Mark and Melissa, I think. Lance was a composer, he was watching the show, and saw us perform. When it was over, me, Lance, and the band sat there after the house closed for the day, just… Chit chatting, small talking, everybody was drunk and talking funny."

"Anyone doing drugs?"

She shook her head. "Normal cigarettes, and beer. Loads of beer. We left the place, Lance was the most sober guy there, so he was driving. He dropped the guys at their houses, and when it came my turn, he spent the night at my house." She sniffed. He came closer to her, gently holding her hand.

"Anyway… We talked, sang to Aerosquid songs, he showed me some of his own… I liked him, and I ended up turning the band down to team up with him." She shut her eyes tight. He quickly hugged her.

"Mr Moon?"

Buster turned to find his senile assistant. "Yes, Miss Crawly?"

"Everyone has been called, sir."

"Good… Erm, shut the lights down there for today. It's not like we're going back to rehearsal."

"Yes, Mr Moon." She said, turning to leave.

"And you can go home for the day, too." The lizard gave a grin that almost made Buster crack up. "You're welcome, Miss Crawly. And please shut the door when you leave." He turned back to Ash. "Sorry. You were saying?"

"Quick question before I go on?"

He chuckled. "Shoot."

"How old is she, and why does she still work?"

"For one, I wish I knew, and for two, she is family." He laughed lightly. "She saw this theatre being built."

"She's funny."

"That too. Not a day goes by without laughter if Miss Crawly's around!" He made a dramatic pose. She laughed. He smiled. "Move over to the couch. It hurts my neck to rest down on the table."

"Okay, _grandpa_." She teased, as she sat on the couch.

"Ha! You insult me." He took a seat by her side. "Now carry on."

Her expression turned somber once again. "Where was I?"

"You turned down the band-"

"To join in a duo with him. For a little while it was great, I was on cloud nine. Shows were kinda slow though."

"I can tell." Buster interrupted. "No offense, but all the guy does is yell, besides the eternal sore throat he's got. Does he gargle with rusty nails before bed?"

She laughed hearing that. Two days prior, she would've gotten pissed off at whoever said this about her boyfriend, but now she couldn't care less. "So you noticed."

"My job to notice. But you? Why didn't you break up-" He froze. _Oops_. _Wrong words, Buster._ "Break the duo with him? I mean… Ash, you got one of the prettiest singing voices I've ever heard! Once you noticed he wasn't good, why didn't you leave, join the band you spoke of..?"

"He kept saying I would never do it. That all I was good for was backing vocals if that wasn't too much for me." She leaned against his side.

"And you believed him?" The koala said, shocked. She stared up at him weirdly. "He wouldn't see talent if it fell right on his lap!"

She smiled faintly up at him. "I'm not that good, Buster."

"You have a beautiful voice, and are so talented Ash…"

"You didn't even care for the song I sang."

"Well… I'm not the biggest fan of punk, you know?" He scratched his head. "But last night, that original you played? Wow! Too slow for a concert, maybe… But it was amazing!" He was enthusiastic. She smiled a little up at him as he pulled her closer. "If I had your voice, I'd be a global by now!"

"I'm glad you like my voice, but… I wanted it so bad to work out, I ended…" She sniffed. "I… Ended…"

"Shutting yourself out." He finished. "No matter what you did, or how good you performed, it was never enough for him."

That was it. The mask was off. Sobbing, she threw her arms around his neck. He held her back tightly.

"It's okay, Ash… It's okay…"

"It's not, you had to hear… You had to hear the things he said… He went inside inquiring if I had cheated… Offered us to get back together… Said that if I hadn't went home earlier the other day, none of this would've happened…" She rested her face on his shoulder. Buster's hands were curled into fists. Was that _dinkleschplatt_ trying to make her feel guilty over his cheating? "And you had to hear… You just had to… Him saying I was _sleeping_ with you to win the contest…"

"Well, Lance's an idiot!" He interrupted. "Trying to blame you for his mistakes, guilt-tripping you, to win you back, I presume, he may be an idiot but he's not dumb, he knows what he lost!" He thought about his next words very carefully. "And assuming you'd go that low to get privileges? Not only he's a total imbecile, but he also doesn't know you!" He was angrily walking around the room. The rocker was looking at him in astonishment. "The piece of- damn! You're too good for him, Ash. You did this, all this!" He continued, motioning to the room around him. "For him, and he treats you like _that_? I can't believe you're upset over these things he said…"

"But he's right." She shrugged. "Maybe if I hadn't arrived early, we'd still be together."

He took a seat near her once again, resting a hand upon her shoulder. "You rather not know he was cheating?"

"Not when you put it like that." She wiped her eyes. "He said it was a one night thing, he was lonely, I wasn't around, maybe if that one day I wasn't there, I would've never caught them and we'd still be dating like nothing ever happened. Ruin an almost two year relationship because of that, I mean..."

Teenage love. So beautiful, and so dangerous to your judgment skills. Buster remembered that correctly. He wasn't a ladies' man, but he had been cheated upon, and he had fallen for the same dumb excuses.

" _Come on Buster, be considerate!"_

" _Not over cheating, Laura, we're through." His heart was shattered inside of his chest._

" _This was an accident!"_

 _He hit the cloth on the car he was polishing, immediately regretting it as it scratched the painting. "YOU WERE KISSING JOHNNY, LAURA, YOU CALL THAT AN ACCIDENT?! AN ACCIDENT IS HITTING YOUR CAR, KISSING SOMEONE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT!"_

" _We were drunk, babe!"_

" _I've gotten drunk and didn't kiss anyone!"_

" _But I did, and it was a mistake, and an accident, and I love you, babe…" She had tears on her eyes as she hugged him. "It won't happen again, I promise…" Laura looked up at him in the sweet way she knew melted his heart. "I promise…"_

 _After giving her words some thought, he sighed and held her back. On the windowsill above, Mr Moon watched the interaction._ This is not going to work out _, he figured. But that would have to wait. A honking sound broke the silence. Grabbing his always loyal car washing bucket, he was ready to get to work._

" _One moment, please, sir!"_

He had seen it all, the lame excuses, the guilt-tripping, the good girl attitude. He had accepted his girlfriend's apology, and ended up even more heartbroken. And now he was seeing Ash about to make the same mistake.

"What guarantees you that?"

She looked up at him. "Guarantees what?"

"What guarantees you that this was a 'one night' thing? _Lance_?" Buster spat out his name like he was cursing someone. "Look, I know you this is your life, and again, I may be going into something that's none of my business. Cheaters don't _change_ , Ash. Okay, see it this way. He cheated this first time, gave you the puppy dog eyes, just waiting you'd fall right back at his arms. If you do that, what image will you give this moron? That you're easy to win back… He will cheat again…" His ears dropped, his eyes glassy. "And you will end up even more heartbroken than now." She was at loss for words. "Believe me. _Please_ believe me. I've felt it on my skin. I've been there. And I made the same mistake you are about to make. There's better guys around."

"Where is the better gal you've found?"

"I'm not ready to settle down." He confessed. "Ash, we got more in common than you think. I'm not-" He was interrupted by annoying phone ringtone. Ash pulled her bag over, and grabbed hold of it. Lance. She looked back at Buster. "Do what you feel is right." He said, simply resting back on the couch, motioning for her to put it on loudspeaker.

"Hello."

" _Hey babes._ "

She covered the speaker, and took a deep breath. "Don't call me 'babes', Lance."

Buster smiled and nodded.

" _Come on, don't talk that dry to me…_ "

"How may I help you?"

" _Okay, I am going to make the sheep impersonation. Baaa-bes…_ "

"What do you want, Lance?!" She said, altered. Buster motioned for her to calm down, mouthing the words 'That's what he wants.'

" _Wow, we are jumpy today! All that because I asked you to forget I cheated?_ "

"I don't know. All that because you realized you traded a jewel for trash?"

" _Jewel?_ " He chuckled. " _One day in the theatre and you're already thinking too much of yourself, babes. I just wanted to invite you over for mine and Becky's great debut._ "

"Debut?"

" _Presentation. Sorry. Forgot some words are too fancy for you, babes._ "

She inhaled deeply. "You have a girlfriend, why the hell are you calling me babes?"

" _Oh, Becky doesn't mind. She ain't a crazy jealous crybaby like some of us are._ "

Buster had had it. He pulled her over, and whispered. "Ask him where is the show."

Her voice was almost broken. "What? Why?"

"Do it, trust me."

" _Ah, your new boyfriend is around! Hey there, Mr Moon! Can he hear me? How you doing today sire? Never thought you had the hots for younger gals!_ "

She picked the phone back up, and replied the best she could. "No, he can't hear you, and he's not my boyfriend."

" _Okay. Invite me to the wedding, will ya?_ "

"Where is your little _debut_ with Becky?"

" _Ah, I knew I'd get you curious! The Tiki Cove, babes._ "

"Don't call me babes!" Her voice cracked, and it came a bit too loud for her liking. Holding the phone against her ear, she collapsed to the couch, crying.

"Hang up, hang up." Buster quickly motioned for her, scooping her up in his arms. "I'm so proud of you, Ash. You won't regret this, trust me." She soaked his suit with tears. Both sat holding each other for the longest while. "He's an idiot, and you know that. He doesn't _deserve_ your tears. I'll make it up to you…"

She rested her head atop his shoulder. "How?"

"I want you to write a song." He began. "Like, _really_ write a song. Spill your feeling into the god darn melody! I want an original as good as that one you showed me, name name…" He snapped his fingers. "Freedom is a voice!"

Wiping her eyes, she gave him a weak smile. "I don't write pop songs, Buster."

"Oh no no no! That's the best part about it… I want you to write a punk song!" She seemed shocked. "Yeah!" He was motioning like he played the guitar, even head banging a little. "That melody, the guitar solos, the loudness! It's the perfect soundtrack for a heartbreak! There's just a little something, I kinda need it for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"I know I'm asking too much." He took her hands. "But I believe in you."

"I never wrote punk before." She confessed. "It's not gonna be a masterpiece."

"It won't if you tell yourself it won't."

She was rubbing her temples. "Buster…"

He got on his knees. "Please, please promise you'll try!"

Ash laughed weakly at the scene in front of her. "Okay, I'll try. Ah!"

The koala jumped on her, hugging her tight, and kissing her cheek. "Thank you! I know you'll make something amazing!" He said, going to the door. "I'll give ya a ride. Meanwhile, you get that dumbass out of your head, shake the dust away from those quills and let your feelings flow!" He finished, shutting the door behind them.

 **A/N: Things will start settling down after chapter 7, keeping it canon to the movie. Rate and review!**


	7. Set it all Free while I do it My Way

Okay, she had promised him she'd write a punk song for the following day. Okay, he was a tad bit too enthusiastic about her voice. Okay, it felt good to be appreciated. But Ash was regretting her promise as she laid down at the couch in her house. What was she thinking? A song, written in one day? Lance took months to write his'! They weren't masterpieces? Correct. But they weren't trash. She was tired, and had thought of at least 10 different melodies, but all of them sounded wrong.

Guitar on hand, she tried playing a punk version of Freedom is a voice, only to find out the cheesy lyrics sounded like a war cry when turned punk.

"Half tone lower?"

No avail. She wrapped her jacket around her waist, and grabbed her guitar case and a notepad. "Maybe changing the environment a little." She locked the door, and took a bus to the other side of town. She walked through parks and stores at the sidewalk, to find a nice place for writing under a tree. She played a few melodies she had in mind. Those who went past her either smiled or frowned, but she couldn't care less.

"You put me through a rollercoast-"

"Ash!"

She nearly jumped at the sound. She _knew_ that voice. She missed that voice.

"Adam?!" A smaller, and younger looking porcupine jumped at her. "Adam! What are you doing out here?"

"Candy!" He said, as he shoved some goodies into his mouth. "Want some?" Ash shook her head. "I missed you, where have you been?"

Ash was distressed, looking from left to right nonstop. "Are mom and dad with you?"

"No, but I am." Ash jumped at the voice, who chuckled. "You're welcome. Your folks asked me to take him home."

"Tara!" Ash said, hugging the otter close. "It's been forever!"

"Tell me about it! Just because you ran away from home, doesn't mean you had to run away from your friends too."

"Ah, shush." The other girl laughed. Ash kneeled down to her brother's height, and hugged him close. "My, you've grown!"

He giggled, and held two fingers high. "Two inches."

"And he's been telling everyone about it, too." Tara finished.

"I'm a big boy, people should know!"

Both teens laughed, as Tara took a seat near Ash. "You got the time?"

"Relax, wouldn't have brought him over if we couldn't spend some time."

Ash sighed out in relief, falling backwards in the grass. "Good."

"A composer now, hm?" She said, chuckling lightly.

"Trying. I got into a singing competition, the judge wants me to write a song." She laid her guitar down as her brother cuddled close to her.

"Is it the competition I saw on the news, that'll pay-?"

"$100 grand? That's the one."

"Starting a career with an original? Now that's something!"

She laughed. "I don't know if I'm going to win, Tara."

Tara merely shrugged. "I think you will."

"Why? I never wrote a punk song before."

"Well… The judge asked _you_ to do it." She winked. Ash raised her brow.

"He did that to make me feel better."

"Why'd he do that?"

"Because he's a sweetheart."

"Ohh, you using your magic on him uh?" She nudged her friend.

"I'm not!" Ash sighed. "I broke up with Lance."

"Who?" Tara said, scratching her head.

"Long story. We've been dating for almost two years, the other day I caught him cheating, we broke up, that's it. I went to Mr- Buster, because I had no one else to turn to, he said Lance was a jerk, was holding me back, and I was better off without him, said he had been cheated upon and knew what it was like, some of the contestants also said he wasn't worth my time." She swallowed hard. "So I decided to listen to their advice, and didn't take Lance back when he offered. He called me while I was with Buster, and I got upset over the things he said, so he said he wanted me to write a song."

"You've been using your ma-gic!" Tara singsonged. "Anyways, he gave you a chance to show your originals right? That's great!"

"It would be if I had an original that was upbeat."

"Sing the one you have!"

"He said he wanted something new! With beat, and loudness, 'perfect soundtrack for a heartbreak', his words!"

"Listen sister… You remember I consider you my sister, right?" Ash nodded. Tara then turned to grab the guitar, and played some chords. "Good. Now... _It might seem crazy what I'm about to sa-ay…_ "

"Oh my god Tara, don't go there!" She cracked up laughing, soon being joined by her friend.

"You didn't even let me finish!" She said, pretending annoyance. "But listen. Okay, he was trying to make you feel better. But you think he'd risk the reputation of his theatre to put you up? That place hasn't had a show worth watching in years! My mom used to take me there when I was a kid, and oh my god, the plays were terrible! The one event held there that I liked was one from Moon himself, it was called 'Improv Comedy', something like that. It was a monologue about family, the theatre was already discredited by everyone. It was a _great_ show, and it was presented to ten people! Ten people Ash! That's how low the place went… But I started going regularly to the shows, and I'm saying, he is a great screenwriter. I would know. He wouldn't risk one of his competitors putting up a bad song just to make you feel appreciated. You know what I think? I think he may be seeing something there that you haven't seen yet."

Ash opened a soda can. "You think he wants me to write a script for a play?"

"No, I think he considers you a good songwriter."

"Tara, the one original I have sucks!"

"Not to him, he wants you to write more!" She turned to her friend. "Listen… You played your original to him, right? He likes it. AND he writes like Orson Whales! He's a good writer! If a good writer asks you to write something, I think he likes your writing skills." Ash froze in thought. "Same thing, I'm a movie director, right? And this one time, no previous warning, Steven Seagull dropped by to watch the recording. And after we wrapped up, he looked at me and said he couldn't wait to see my movies." She grabbed her friend's shoulders. "Steven Seagull! He's like the top of top directors of all times, and he liked my directing skills! That's like… Uh… That's like… Quick, rocker name!"

"What?"

"Tell me the name of a rocker!"

"Uh… Steven Tiger!"

"Steven Tiger! _That_ is Steven Tiger walking up to you and saying 'Ash, I like your songs, and I want you to compose more.'" She crashed both her hands down her friend's shoulders. "BOOM! THAT JUST HAPPENED!"

"Ow! Stop it, people are staring!"

"Let them stare! Eyes were made to see!" She said, gradually speaking louder. She turned to the park's goers. "Hey! Take a picture, it last longer!"

"Stop it!" Ash practically jumped on the otter. "You're making a scene!"

"Ash! A good screenwriter asked you to write a song! He saw something there!"

"He's not a songwriter!"

"Writer nonetheless! Maybe he never wrote a song, but he knows good writing when he sees it! Since when do you think so low of your own skills?! The Ash I knew believed she could do anything at all because she always had what it took! You can't write a _song_? A mere song? What happened to you?! Someone believes in you. _I_ believe in you. While you look at your work and say it is terrible because it isn't perfect, you're not gonna go anywhere! Perfection doesn't _exist,_ Ash _._ The one thing between you and your song is your head. It is holding you back! Set it free from its cuffs, and write the goddamn song!" Ash was frozen in place. Tara handed her the guitar, smiling. "So, let's?" She took it.

Buster had no idea where the show house was, and his phone's GPS system was even more lost than him. He could swear he had heard the mechanical voice sigh once or twice, but he carried on. He was going to find Lance, and he was going to have a word with him. Coming to a halt, he sighed in relief as he saw a Hawaiian-styled joint at the alley. The place looked shady, but calm. Was he going in there? Yes, yes he was. Going right past the entrance, he found the backstage door, where he was greeted by a familiar female koala.

"Entrance is over there, sire."

"Laura?"

"That's me, do we know each other? What's your name?"

"Buster. Buster Moon."

She froze in place.

"May I come in? My godson is presenting tonight and I want to wish him good luck."

"Buster, I'm…"

"I don't care. May I come in?" She opened the door. "See you around, Laura."

If Buster wasn't already too mad for his liking, now he was pissed off. His cheating girlfriend just had to work here. He couldn't get Ash out of his mind. He was mad at Lance for cheating on her, and he was mad at himself for believing Laura'd change. He went to the wings, and talked to a dorky beaver.

"Hey there! You happen to know where I can find Lance? He's a porcupine, guitarist…" The beaver pointed to a separate room. "Thanks. You rock!" Buster ran to said room, halting at its entrance. He heard muffled singing from inside. _Damn, his_ voice _makes me want to kick his ass._ He took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Hey what do ya want, we're rehea- Buster Moon, my champ!" He gave him a yellow smile. "Man, I knew you'd come here for advice, but I didn't expect it'd be this soon."

"Can you please pretend you're civilized for a second, Lance? Thank you. I want you to stop harassing Ash."

"Harassing?" He shrugged. "What are you talking about there, Moon?"

"The call you made her earlier today is what."

"Aww, can't a fuzzy wuzzy teddy bear put up with another guy calling his girlfriend 'babes'?" He laughed. "I can't believe Ash asked you to come here!"

Buster's blood was boiling inside his veins. "For one, if you make fun of me I am going to fix your buck teeth with my hands. For two, Ash doesn't like you calling her 'babes', or even calling her, for all matters. For three, she didn't ask a thing, I'm here on my own. And for the billionth time, she is not my girlfriend."

The female porcupine laughed at his face. Lance merely chuckled, as he took her hand and kissed it. "Yeah right, I believe you. You confront her boyfriend over the things he says, you threaten him, by the way, you being in no condition to back up your threat…"

 _That's what you think, smart ass._

"You came all the way over here, to tell me to stop calling her?" He laughed in disbelief, as he fixed Buster's suit slightly. "Partner, you are the definition of a jealous boyfriend."

Buster grabbed both his hands, and pushed him into a couch. The female stopped laughing. Buster went right past her, standing tall over Lance.

"One, you are her ex. Two, this is your last warning. If you go near Ash again for anything that's not apologizing, I'm going to make you regret coming out of the uterus. You got that?"

"Whoa!" He sat straight, facing the koala. "Didn't knew you liked playing tough, Moon."

"I don't like it, I found it necessary. One last time. Do you understand it?" Lance nodded. Buster started walking to the door.

"She has the hots for older guys, you know." Buster froze in his tracks. Lance stood up, and started walking to him. "Me?" He chuckled. "I'm 24, Buster. 22 when we started dating. Wow, twenty-two when I first saw that _form_ …"

 _Suck it up_ , Buster commanded himself.

"Sleeping cuddling close to her, after a good night of sex… She was fresh off the oven those days, too. So pure and innocent… An escapee looking for someone who loved her, and made her feel older. Lucky me. You know how virgin girls are…" Lance put both his hands at Buster's shoulders, gently patting them.

 _This is his game_ , Buster thought.

"If she hasn't hit on you by now, don't worry, because she will soon." He hugged the koala, and patted his back. "You might as well enjoy, like she does." He finished, walking back.

 _Father, forgive._ Turning around, he sent his fist crashing down the porcupine's face, earning a startled scream from the female. Not satisfied with sending the younger male tumbling to the ground, Buster proceeded to kick him.

"You piece of a-! Look at me, look at my face!" He picked the rocker off of the ground, and threw him at a chair. There was blood on his shirt. "You are a poor excuse to an animal! You mark my words, Lance, next time I hear you talk about a girl like that, or if I find out you are out there playing girls, I am going to come back. You don't want me to come back!" That's it. He had vented out. Shoving Lance to the ground once again, he went for the door as the female porcupine went to her boyfriend's aid. "Oh. And have a nice _debut_ , Lance. Ma'am." Bowing his head, he shut the door behind him.

 **A/N: BOOM, THAT JUST HAPPENED! Lance's ass' been successfully kicked, as requested. Perverted remarks because Lance likes playing with fire, and didn't count on Buster's reaction. Things went a tad bit fast with Ash because I have no idea on what triggers you to write a song. Rate and Review! Thanks to all commenters!**


	8. Jailhouse Rock & Kiss from a Rose

**A/N: WOW, 20 REVIEWS! Thank you guys so much, and have a brand new chapter of Story Not Told! Also yes, chapters will have song names. Haha. XD**

He could scarcely believe what he had just done. What was he thinking?! Yes, Lance was a jerk, and deserved every single kick that was directed towards him. But if the porcupine went to the cops, what was he gonna do? Assault was a serious charge, even when you do it for the right reason. He had done it for Ash. Then why did he feel kinda jealous of Lance? Ash wasn't his girlfriend! His mind fled to a couple days prior. That kiss. Those lips upon his'. Those arms around him. His arms around her. Why did he want to feel that again? It was wrong! They were different species, let alone their 25 year difference! His heart started to pound faster in his ribcage, and he knew it wasn't good. He had to be nuts, right? He was just letting the porcupine's words get to his head… He wasn't _in love_ with Ash, right? He entered the theatre, and was surprised with music. Going up the stairs, he found Johnny and Miss Crawly practicing the piano. He went past them as silently as he could.

"Oh, hey Mr Moon."

"Hey there, Johnny. I thought you had left."

"No, I just wanted to practice some more. Is that okay?"

Buster nodded, and smiled. "You go right ahead."

"Mr Moon? What's that on your shoes?" Miss Crawly's voice came.

"Uh… Dirt. I took a different route back here, and accidentally threw the bike on this big pile of dirt and leaves. Silly me." He laughed as normally as he could. "Did you call Meena?"

"Back here, Mr Moon!" The koala jumped. Both his assistant and his gorilla competitor laughed. Buster smirked. "I've started collecting the glass!"

"Good, good! Keep up the good work! Be with you in a minute!" He ran into his office, and closed the door and blinds. Blood. The idiot had joyfully went past town with someone else's blood on his shoes and pants. He took off both items, and substituted them for clean ones. He just hoped that whoever saw him either mistook the stains for water or didn't notice them at all. Throwing his suit to the couch, he rolled up his sleeves. He had a long night of work ahead of him.

Several hours later, the tank was finished, and the squids had been recruited and knew exactly what to do. All there was left for him was wait. Oh, and try to get Ash out his mind. He took off his gear, and slipped into bed, going through the day's events. When had those thoughts even _started_? Lance's words alone wouldn't do this to him.

He had went to Nana's house, surprising Eddie at some point there, ok. He came back and told everyone the news, good. He held a full-dress rehearsal. Mike was singing to Fox Sinatra, great, he loved it. He called her on. When she got on stage, was here anything about her that froze his mind? He found that unlikely. She ran off, and he eavesdropped the cast's conversation. He sent everybody home. Was it for her? Or was he wanting to be alone with her back there? Probably both, he figured. What is it about her that he liked? Her skills, her voice? Was it because of the danger? Society didn't like it, he could get arrested if someone found out… Of course not. He disliked danger with all his heart. Was it merely physical? No, no way!

Although he wouldn't complain if physical contact happened. He _wanted_ it to happen. He mentally slapped himself. As if _crushing_ on her wasn't already wrong enough… He drifted off into peaceful sleep, the porcupine never leaving his mind.

Meanwhile, at the good part of town, Tara knocked on the door to a fancy house. Boy, that had been a tiring day.

"Tara!" Marina said, opening the door. "I thought you'd have traveled by now!"

"Nah, the cast can wait." She laughed lightly. "Just wanted to make sure your little one got here in safety. There's monsters out here." The boy gripped her hand tightly. She carefully ruffled his quills, smiling.

"Very considerate of you! Would you like to come in? We're having beef and baked potatoes, Maria made pudding as well! It's what you younger folks like, right? Pudding?"

Tara laughed. "I do like it, but I'm a tad bit late. This afternoon ride took longer than I expected. But thank you ma'am."

"Oh, at least take something with you! Come in! I'll get something packed!"

She sighed. "Okay, if you insist."

Not too long after, she sat at a big and fancy dining hall, having a delicious meal. Despite her protests, Marina always had a way to convince her to do things she didn't want to. She felt out of place, despite her warm hosts. That place didn't feel like home _whatsoever_. Her studio was in the bad side of town, but she loved it will all her heart. She felt truly welcomed there. Unlucky for her, things were just about to get worse.

"Elbows off the table." The small porcupine quickly did as instructed.

"Sorry, ma'am."

She sighed again. If there was something in the world that she hated, it had to be rich families. Always so polite and formal, even with their kids. Adam could easily pass for a servant. His expensive and neat clothing, which didn't really fit the weather, let alone a kid. Kids liked running and getting their clothes dirty. Despite being a girl, she enjoyed doing that. Some of the best memories she had were from the football field just across the block. Four hour, sometimes more, football matches. Dodgeball. Hide-and-seek. Even the one time Drake brought along a pellet gun and she was accidentally shot in her back. It hurt like hell, but it was a great day. They cheered her up, invented a million games they could play, and after half an hour she felt no pain anymore. The boy never had any of that. He wasn't allowed to play, or run, or do anything that didn't match being the heir of a great fortune and many of the richest companies around. She felt bad for Ash, having to grow up there. It must've been suffocating.

"Is there something on your mind, dear?"

She started considering if Ash's escape wasn't her fault, even if a tiny little bit. It was her who took Ash to her house, introduced her to all the kids in the neighborhood, and even lent her some clothes so she could play with them without being scolded by her parents when she got home. Did it start back there? Or Ash always had it in her? Time passed, and she was unrecognizable. Especially after the one party she went, just because her parents weren't there not to allow her. How happily she talked about the boy she had met. The songs he had taught her to play in the guitar. How was she hoping to join a band. In no time, practically all _elements_ , as Ash's family liked calling whoever didn't have millions in their pockets and weren't annoyingly polite, in town knew her. She started leaving at nights to go play in concerts, all very hidden from public eye. She did that because it was fun. One day, her parents noticed she had left, and went after her. Someone sold her out. When they arrived at the concert, the house went down. They threatened to call the police, had a couple bodyguards kick animals, and dragged their daughter out of the place.

"Tara?" Michael asked, a worried look on his face.

She looked up. "Yes, sire?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Fine and dandy, Mister."

She couldn't understand why Marina and Michael liked her. She wasn't different from Ash at all. Both were alternative, had a passion for music, and lived a less than ideal lifestyle, despite their ridiculously rich parents. She figured it was because she wasn't their daughter.

"Ta-Ta, why you sad? We saw big sis!"

Tara's eyes opened wide, her mouth hung in shock. Morbid silence.

"What did you say?"

"We saw big sis today! She was messing with string-thing!" The kid said, cheerfully.

"Guitar." Tara sighed.

"You saw Ash?" Michael said, a bit altered.

"Yes, Mr T. She was-"

"I didn't knew you still saw each other!" Marina interrupted.

"We don't! We just happened to bump into each other at the park."

"Where does she live?"

"I don't know." She lied.

"If you were meeting her out there like the best friends, of course you do!"

"I have her phone!" She said, lifting her phone. "I can ask, wait a sec."

Ash was sitting at her bed, happy at the lyrics she had just finished, but even more at the day's events. She had seen a long time friend, got to spend some time with her little brother, and had written a melody that was sure to blow Nana away. Literally. Maybe the guitar solos were too much, but Buster had said he wanted loudness. She lifted her phone, and saw a message. It took her a while to understand what the letters meant.

 _PRENTS GOIN OVR. LAEVE D HOUS ASAP!_

She couldn't believe it. Why would Tara tell her parents where she lived?! She grabbed a couple shirts that were sitting there, stuck them into her guitar case, and ran off to the theatre, carefully checking her surroundings so her parents wouldn't see her.

"Buster!"

She wasn't going to destroy _another_ of his windows' frames. Taking small pebbles, she threw them at the window, to try and wake the koala.

"Buster!"

The frame went up. "Ash? What are you doing, you alright?"

"Please open the door!"

He nodded, and closed the window, quickly rushing downstairs. She had got to be kidding him. On the night he wasn't fit to see her, because he had to find out how he felt about her, she needs a place to stay. And of course they were staying at the same bed. At the second he opened the door, she ran inside, almost breathless.

"What happened?"

"My parents found out…" She inhaled deeply. "Where I live. Can I stay here? Sorry, I should've called you."

"No no, don't mention it. Uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Make yourself at home."

"Ah. Thanks." Going to the wings, she settled her guitar case down, and changed into an oversized shirt she had brought along. "Sorry about coming here this late at night, I didn't knew this was gonna happen."

"It's fine, Ash." He assured her, giving her a sweet smile. "You're always welcome. But listen, uh… I only have one bed, here."

"Single or double?"

"Double." He lied.

"No problem, then."

"Okay… Let me get things ready." Running upstairs, he quickly grabbed some pillows and comforters and his own mattress, turning it into a double bed. Of course they weren't going to sleep inside of his table's drawer. There was no _space_ , right? And quite frankly, he wanted to be near her.

"Here we go."

"Thanks, Buster." She laid down at the bed. He nodded, and helped himself to her side, both facing the ceiling. Silence hovered over them for a while.

"You don't turn while you sleep, right?"

She laughed and smacked his leg. " _You_ don't turn while you sleep, right? It would be a nuisance to have those ears smack against me."

He put up a fake pout, and chuckled. "Touché."

There it was. That quickened heartbeat. He was laying in bed with the girl he was crushing on, and couldn't have been more lost. More silence.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yep."

"Any calls?"

She shook her head. "Not that I noticed."

 _Good_ , Buster thought.

"What happened to… All glass windows, and panels from downstairs?"

He chuckled. "Wanna see it? It will blow you away."

Not too long afterwards, both sat at the front row of the theatre, watching a spectacular show of lights.

"Wow."

"What did I say, uh?" Ash was mesmerized by the vision. Buster brought her closer to him, and tilted his face, gently brushing one of her loose quills. The teenager sighed.

"So we did… Kiss, that day?"

"We did, and it was the smoochiest smooch you can think of." He chuckled.

"Sorry about that."

"I don't mind it." He took a deep breath. "And, if anything, I'd like to maybe… Do it again." She looked back at him. "I know it's weird, and uncalled for, but… Since that day I can't get you out of my mind."

"Same." He turned to her. "I kinda wondered if that kiss had been a dream… But dream or not, it was amazing."

"Uh. Well…" He wasn't used to being complimented in such a way. "Thanks, I… It felt pretty good on this side too."

"What are you waiting for?" She giggled softly, covering her mouth.

"What? Oh! Uh… Okay." He swooped her in for a quick experimental kiss. Then a longer one, and an even longer one after that. Jail rushed through his mind for a moment, but he couldn't care less. It was just him, and her, and if that meant jail then he'd take it without a complaint.

Ahead of them, squids flashed red and formed a heart on the tank.

 **A/N: Yes, let the ship rage on! Dramatic romantic scene, uncertainty, yadda yadda yadda because I could! I wanna hear you! Too quick? Too slow? Too dramatic, maybe? Are you feeling it? Rate and review, please!**


	9. Californication (MATURE CHAPTER!)

**MATURE CHAPTER, MATURE CHAPTER, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.**

 **A/N: There is not much to this besides, putting it simple, sex. If you feel uncomfortable with it, please just skip this chapter. If you choose to skip, another one should be up by tomorrow depending on how fast I figure out the next events. This movie's got a pace that has my head spinning at times! This here's basically fluff, kisses and gentle sex, no important events. This is the one and only 'M' chapter this story will have, so I'm keeping it rated T. If you choose to proceed, I hope you enjoy your ride, and have in mind this is my first attempt ever at something 'dirty'.**

Ash had to admit, she wasn't really expecting to engage into another relationship like this. A guy that'd take her to see a spectacle such as this one, would kiss her so gently, and make her feel unique. She had previous experiences with dating, but none of them compared to this. Matthew had been good, he bought a couple tickets to her favorite band, and they had kissed there. Lance had driven her home, and they had kissed like it was nothing. This was _entirely_ different. There was something about Buster's touch that she had never felt before. It sent mean shivers down her spine and made her quills stay on end. It felt _exciting_. She pulled him closer. He gently pulled away.

"Wow."

"Same about you. You're a great kisser."

"Thanks. It's been a while."

"Pity." She pulled him in.

"One moment, please." He stood up, and addressed the squids. "Great job you guys! I expect to see this tomorrow, uh? Sorry for waking you up!" The squids scattered.

"You woke them up just for this?"

"No, _silly_ , they were shining through the night just because they could." He teased. She gently pushed him.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I know I didn't, but I wanted to." He took a bow and kissed her hand. "Where were we?"

"Here." She grabbed him by his shirt, and kissed him deeply. Altho surprised, Buster returned the gesture.

It was a passionate kiss, like the ones you see in movies. Like… The one they had seen in _Casablanca_ , just a couple days ago. If only she knew they were gonna repeat it…

And then there was the feeling again. Her heart started beating faster, and she wanted more. Walking ahead, she pressed him against the stage right behind them. He allowed her to do whatever. He couldn't lie, this was the definition of perfection. He wasn't a ladies' man, but he had kissed. None of his previous kisses could compare to this. Not in the slightest. He liked having Ash at his arms. It felt right. He felt loved, and hoped he was making her feel the same. He ran his fingers up her neck, towards her cheeks, gently massaging them. She shivered, and pressed herself against him.

None knew for how long they kissed, but upon parting both were breathless. Adventurous Ash went ahead and explored the nape of his neck and hair, while Buster caressed her back. Going a tad bit lower, she tugged on his button up pajamas shirt, and looked at his face.

He rolled his eyes, and chuckled. "If you promise you're not going to laugh…" He kept his shirt tucked under his pants. She promptly pulled it loose, and pressed the body underneath.

"Doesn't feel that bad." He blushed. She started unbuttoning his shirt. "Alright, Buster Moon, let's see what you're hiding here."

"I work out but it's not enough to define anything." She pulled his shirt off. He stood straight, hands behind his back. "What do you think?"

She rubbed up and down his chest. "Stiff. Whatever you are doing at the gym seems to be working."

He laughed. "Thanks. Let's go back upstairs? Feels weird to be… Half naked down here."

"Whatever you say, Mr Stiff."

"I swear to god, if you call me that in front of anybody…" He pecked her cheek, and led her upstairs.

"We would have to answer too many questions." Both chuckled lightly at Ash's remark.

He stopped her on top of the staircase, and looked at her in the eye. "Ash." Well, he might as well get that out of his system. "You know this is a dang- _delicate_ relationship, right? At least for a few years, you can't introduce me as your boyfriend, you can't tell-"

"I know that."

"We are 25 years apart. I'm two times your age, plus a few years. It's-" She shushed him with a kiss. "You gotta…"

"I know. I went that over in my head during that show downstairs." She tried kissing him again.

"And you're fine with it?"

"If I say yes, will you shut up and let me kiss you?" She was holding both his hands and moving back and forth.

"Ash."

"Would I be kissing you if I wasn't?"

He took a moment to reply. "No."

"Good boy." She settled on kissing him again, pressing him against Mrs Crawly's desk. That moment, she knew Buster wasn't like anyone she had kissed or slept with. Matthew was 5 years apart from her, Lance was 7, none couldn't compare with 25, but both were considerable years apart from her. None had stopped in the middle of a making out session to remind her of that kinda stuff, and make her feel sure of what she wanted. She never slept with Matthew, Lance outright took her to bed when they kissed, she wasn't even sure Buster would think about doing that, and figured she'd have to take lead.

She pulled away, and took him to his office, shutting the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's get to bed."

"Great." He yawned. "I'm tired."

 _How naive of him…_ She could never tell if he was faking, or if he was just plain clueless. Either way, once he was done settling in bed, she climbed on top of him, and thrust her lips onto his' again. He tasted amazing. Carefully holding her at his arms, he rested her down by his side, never breaking the kiss. Pulling away, both pecked each others' lips several times, eyes closed all along. Ash sat up, and started taking her shirt off.

"Wait, what-?"

"You can't be _that_ innocent, Buster."

"Right now?"

"Yeah, problem?"

"No, I'm just…" He sighed. "Have you at least done this before?" He knew she had, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"What do you think?" She laughed. "Why? Have you never?"

"No, I have. I just didn't think you would-"

"But I do." Before he could protest, she tossed her shirt at him. He was mesmerized for a second. She had a great form, carefully hidden under her alternative t-shirts.

"Man, you're really something."

"Please, are you gonna say you're not excited?" He blushed. "Thought so. Drop the uptightness and feel it." She started massaging his shoulders. He relaxed under her touch. Leaning down, she started kissing his neck. He sighed, and gave a mischievous smile. Grabbing hold of her waist, and careful of her sharp quills, he flipped her over. She was shocked, but smirked. "Now we're getting somewhere."

Leaning down, he gently pecked her neck, and traced his way down her chest. She quivered under his touch. It almost felt electrical, sending all sorts of shivers through her body. She pulled him closer, nuzzled and sucked on his neck. He let out a low groan, to which she smiled at. There was something about causing that kind of sensations in someone else that excited her. She had vague memories of late at night Owlgle searches about the right way to please someone, but found out it wasn't rocket science; it varied from guy to guy. Lance could get turned on from kissing alone; Buster seemed to need the touchy feely part. She traced down his spine and tugged at his pants. Straightening up, Buster removed them, keeping only his boxers on. He figured they'd get off sooner or later.

"That's a nice look for you."

"Thanks." He couldn't lie, he was very aware under Ash's unrestrained gaze. Of his age more than anything. He looked good for a 42 year old, or at least he liked thinking so, but when compared to teenagers or young adults he would lose the matter. He shrugged it off, and carefully sucked on her breast. She moaned, and pulled him closer to her. He traced up her body, feeling her curves, and wrapped his arms around her. He had to admit, she was smoking hot. Not only in figurative, but also in literal sense. She felt warm. He planted kisses around her neck and across her shoulder blade, eyes closed all along.

Ash was almost paralyzed at Buster's advances. _Wonder what else those hands can do_ , she thought, wryly. She led one of his hands down her body, and rested it on her underpants. "Take it off…" She said, almost breathless. He shot her an uncertain look. "Save your remarks for later." He smirked.

"For one, I wasn't going to make any remark. And for two, if you insist…" Crawling down, he slowly slid her panties off. "Let's see what you've got." He winked. She blushed, and thanked heavens the room was dark. She had heard dirty talk, but she didn't expect Buster to even know what that was. He stopped for a moment to check her full form underneath him. Ash was really hot. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, and he had no doubt. He wanted to have her. He wanted to have her, and he wanted to please her.

He could feel his boner crushed against his boxers -and felt slightly ashamed of this, by the way- but for a night he decided not to care. Put all shame aside. Sitting straight, he took his own underpants off and tossed them to the side of the room. His member was pulsing. How long had it been since his last time? Way too long, he could tell.

"Nice." Her voice broke the silence. "Finally get to see you in your basic form." He was blushing like mad, his face seemed to be on fire. Chuckling, Ash pulled him closer to her once again. "Stop thinking." She started running her fingertips on his back. He shivered, and leaned in. She kissed him passionately, and wrapped her legs around his'. Laying down, he slowly pushed inside of her. She gasped in his mouth. He held her close. "Better…" She panted, as he started thrusting on her.

He merely shot her a dirty smirk. "Glad you like it."

Ash was clinging onto him as if her life depended on it. Man, that felt _amazing_. She didn't know if it was the lust from the moment speaking, or Buster's touch, but could swear this was the best sex session she ever had. Or at least in the longest while. Lance wasn't exactly the _affectionate_ type, only when he felt like it, or when he wanted something. It was also way too quick. He wasn't the type who'd kiss her and get her aroused before sex, if anything, he did the opposite. One moment they'd be normally talking, and the other Lance would climb on top of her and outright slip into her, not really caring if she was enjoying herself. Buster wasn't like that. He touched her and got her excited before thinking about his own satisfaction. He was good at it, and it surprised her. Who would say the kind, soft-spoken and diminutive theatre owner had it in him.

She shut her eyes tightly, and let low whines escape her mouth. He pushed deeper, prompting her to cry out in pleasure. He huffed, and stopped for a second to acknowledge the girl under him. She was flushed, he could tell. They stared into each others' eyes for a moment. That was it. Looks of pure love and adoration, and the simple act of having sex became making love. Locking lips again, Buster went back to his ministrations. Holding tight onto him, Ash was leaving several red trails on his back, but he couldn't care less. That felt _good_.

"Buster…" She huffed. "Go deeper…" He did as told. She gave a heavy pant as she traced down his jaw, and smiled seeing him shudder. He had to admit, this wasn't like nothing he'd ever done before. His previous girlfriends had been very shy when it came to sex, so doing it with someone who was more open about it was amazing. He helped himself and grabbed both of her hips, squeezing them. He could feel her inner walls clenching around him, and it was driving him crazy. She must be getting close. Taking advantage of that, he lifted her legs slightly, and went deeper. She screamed in pleasure. "Damn! Buster!" He started thrusting faster, at the pace of her rapidly louder moans. He could feel his orgasm on the horizon, and jerked back to pull out. Ash groaned, and coiled her legs tighter around his waist.

"D-Don't you dare…" He was going to protest when realization struck him. Oh, what the hell. It's not like he could get her pregnant anyway. Nodding, he gave one last powerful push into her before finally emptying himself inside of her. Ash let out one last cry in delight before reaching her own peak. Sliding out, Buster collapsed on top of her, panting. Both were covered in sweat from their little adventure. He gently pecked her forehead before getting off of her.

"Ash?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He cradled her in his arms. Tiredness taking over, they slept in the warmness of each other's body.

 **A/N: BOOM, THAT JUST HAPPENED! Sorry for the delay and thank you who read it this far.**


	10. Guess Things Happen that Way

**A/N: School has started, and I had a family emergency. I greatly apologize for the delay. But here it is, enjoy another chapter of Story Not Told!** **Also damn, 34 reviews! You guys ROCK! Thanks for your love.**

Sunlight filled the main Moon Theatre office. It was a beautiful day, the town hardly awake, morning breeze blowing. Buster, who rose with the sun, turned off his alarm clock and laid down in bed with his now-girlfriend Ash. He looked up at the time. They still had some time before everyone arrived. He hugged her close, and in her sleep, she returned the gesture. He smiled and gently nuzzled her cheek.

"Good morning, sunshine…" She tried turning to the other side, but he held her. "Time to get up…" He singsonged.

"Let me sleep…" He gently pecked down her neck. She shivered. "S-Stop…"

"After you kiss me." Ash lazily pecked his lips. "Much better. Not a morning person?" He laughed softly.

"Not a before-dawn person."

"Not even to cuddle with someone?" He came closer. She shook her head. "You know I'm just going to irritate you awake, right?" He gently grabbed her shoulders.

"You're gonna get stung."

"Worth it." He kissed down her shoulder blade. She groaned.

"Are you like this with all your girlfriends?"

"Why, too cheesy for you?" He teased.

"More like not used to it." She yawned. He laughed.

"Morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Buster." She gently caressed his cheek, and smiled seeing him lean into her hand. "Why are you up this early?"

"Got a theatre to keep running. Wanna head out and grab some breakfast?"

"At six in the morning?"

He shrugged. "First batch of bread is always the best batch."

"Point." Gently pushing him off, she stood up and stretched out. "Long ride?"

"Two blocks." He said, buttoning his shirt.

"Fine enough."

"Oh yeah? You take the challenge?" She could practically hear him smirking, and was about to retort when realization struck her.

"My clothes are downstairs, can you-?"

"Guitar case?"

"Yes."

"Be right back." He took off the stairs. Wrapping herself up in a blanket, she stood up and started going over his various personal paraphernalia - A variety of scripts, trophies (none of which had his name, she couldn't help noticing) and books. Many books. She pulled one from the shelf. _On Stage,_ by Orson Whales. She chuckled to herself. "The irony…" This copy was nothing like the one Tara had lent her a couple days prior. It was worn out, and the pages were yellowish. Opening it, she saw a handwritten message.

 _You've grown into a fine young man, and I trust your talent. This is a little gift to help you understand the next step of your journey. Make the best out of it._

 _-Dad_

Going deeper into the book, she found several group pictures. Smiling animals, not rarely in costumes, bowing on stage. Pictures of a much younger Buster and, she guessed, his dad. She couldn't help but laugh at some of the photographs. Who'd say once upon a time Buster had long hair. She flipped some more pages. Both of them cleaning up a car. Buster's graduation ceremony. She was so immersed in the pictures she didn't even noticed the small figure right behind her.

"Having fun?" She dropped the book, scattering many pictures along the floor.

"Uh… Sorry."

"I don't mind." He smiled as he kneeled down and started to gather the photos once again. "How much did you see?"

"You look nice with long hair." She joined him on the ground, re-adjusting the thin white fabric around her.

"I told you I was in a band."

"Heavy metal?" She was holding laughter.

"Soft rock." She burst out laughing. "Hey, in thirty years you are gonna look back at your pictures and feel the same way!"

"I still can't get over you once being in a band, rock or not." He stared at her. She laughed, and slid a photograph to him. "Is this your dad?"

Buster had a nostalgic smile on his face. "Yes. This is from the first play I ever directed, I was in middle school." He was absentmindedly running his fingers on the portrait. "He was so proud of me, he smiled like there was no tomorrow." His expression turned sad, and she quickly moved over to him, gently rubbing his back. He put the photograph back on it's spot. "I miss him… But having him in my life for some time was a privilege." Done gathering the pictures, he slid the book back to its place.

"Are you okay?" It broke her heart to see him like this.

"Yes, I just… I miss him, I wish he could be here with me." Ash gently held his face, and locked lips with him. Kissing back, he wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks. Let's get dressed, the bakery's about to open."

"Are you okay?" He nodded firmly. "Okay." Quickly, she slid her clothes on. His mood improved in a matter of seconds. Soon, he was talking about shows he had held and how much he had liked playing in a band. Not too long after, both of them walked down the streets, directed to the bakery.

"Thanks for the meal." Buster merely nodded, checked to see if there was anyone around, and gently kissed her lips.

"Let's go in two, you know… Not to raise suspicion." Ash laughed.

"Ladies first."

He paused, and shot her a humorous smirk. Walking ahead, he peaked his head into the theatre. Great. The show to be set around two in the afternoon, of course everyone made sure to arrive early. He carefully closed the door. "Everyone's in there."

"Expected." Ash laughed. "You have the weirdest screening times."

"But you know we won't-"

"Kiss, or hold hands, or anything that doesn't suit you being a contest holder, and me being a competitor, yeah, you told me."

"And you're fine with that?"

"I told you I was. Why keep asking?"

"Just making sure, you could've changed your mind or-"

"I'll let you know if I do." She started walking ahead.

"Ash. I don't wanna get arrested, I always gotta make sure. You understand that don't you?"

"How about you show some trust."

"I know, I'm sorry. I will." He came closer to her, and pulled her into his embrace. "I love you. I don't want to lose this, that we have."

 _I love you._ Leaning into his arms, she rested on his shoulder. "Me neither. You don't want to go to jail, and I don't want you to go to jail, we're on the same page." She said, pulling away from him. "And I also don't want your presentation to be late. I gotta rehearse anyway." She shrugged.

"We're good?" His ears were low. Smiling, she quickly lifted them and went inside. He sighed. Boy, he loved her.

Everyone was in a hurry. Running low of time and with a special guest that was sure to arrive anytime now, it was more than understandable. Buster went around the stage to make sure everything was perfect.

"Okay…" He said, done with the final arrangements. "Meena. Is Johnny here yet?"

"He's practicing, Mr Moon."

"Go get him, please!" He motioned for the elephant to go upstairs. "Everyone, please-" He was about to tell them the performance's order when a song caught his ears. It was catchy, and full of rhythm. Chasing after the sound, he found Ash, carefully striking the strings of her guitar. He paused. The melody was amazing, but when her voice came along he froze in place, mouth slightly agape. For a second, he thought about going over, and holding her close to him and kissing her, but soon decided otherwise. It would not end well. Being as silent as possible, he took stand by the door.

"When you set it all free, all free, all free, you set it all free!" Ash was absorbed in her song, trying to both master it and fix any chord put erroneously, any string she might've pulled by accident. It was written in half a day, she barely had time to practice, but at least it was her song. Opening her eyes, she started going over the sound in her head.

"Wow. You wrote that?"

"Uhh… Yeah. You like it?" He seemed bewildered. Until she saw that smile form.

"Are you kidding? It's fantastic! You gotta sing that today!" His mood and persona lifted almost immediately as he ran off. _She did it. I knew she could,_ he thought, smiling to himself as he started giving directions. "Mike! You're on first!"

Buster took a deep breath as he was being lowered down to the stage. _I got one shot._ "All creatures great and small! Welcome to the Moon Theatre. I am your host, Buster Moon, and-" His speech was suddenly interrupted by the seemingly free fall onto the ground. The rope came to a halt, and Buster balanced once again onto the moon, symbol of the theatre. "Okay. Behold! The very first stage lit entirely by squid power!" He finished, squids all around him flashing in coordination with a beat. Ash had seen it all not too long ago, but seeing Buster perform along with it added something special to the spectacle. Everyone on stage was clapping at the show, almost mesmerized by the colors. 'Wows' could be heard along the cast. That is, until three massive bears broke into the place.

"Hey, hey, hey! You can't just barge in here!"

"You know this guy?"

"Mike?"

"Yes, he says you got his money, and it's in that box!"

One word lead to another, and the irritated bears smashed the chest open, dust rising.

"See that! Big guy with a bat! Who needs keys, right?" Mike said, as he jumped into the now broken chest. "Okay, let's get this thing square." He messed and messed around, finding nothing but few dollar bills and a lot of broken junk. "That's all there is?!" He jumped out. "He lied!" The cast gasped. "Moon lied to us all!"

"Wait a second, I can explain…" He backed off a bit. Ash couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"This is just a prop!"

"Where's the hundred thousand dollars?" Buster was backing more and more off. Unbeknownst to them all, the glass just under their feet was starting to give in.

"It's a box of junk? You wasted everyone's-" They heard continuous cracking, and everything came crashing down. Water flooded the theatre, and animals held onto whatever they could reach.

"Is everyone okay?!" Buster was walking around, distressed. "Nana!"

The cast sat on the road just outside the theatre. People all along the streets stopped on their tracks to see what the fuzz was about. Not too long afterwards, all of them witnessed the theatre's literal downfall: The building crashed down, a cloud of dust forming. The cast carefully approached the debris.

Ash was the most petrified of them, not because of the near-death situation, or seeing the building fall around her, but because she knew what it meant to Buster. The theatre he loved with all his heart, that he had so many memories with, that was a gift from his father… And the same theatre that held all of those pictures. "No…" She could see him going further into the theatre, until he collapsed to the ground. Miss Crawly was with him in a minute.

Digging into the debris, he went across a familiar object. "Dad… I'm so sorry." No longer capable of holding it in, and feeling more lost than ever, he broke into tears, hugging the bucket close. The cast watching him from a distance, before parting ways. Ash, however, remained on the heartbreaking scene.

 **A/N: BOOM, CLIFFHANGER! Haha! I'm gonna have the next chapter up ASAP, I PROMISE. I would write more on this chapter, but didn't due to… Cliffhanger. Haha. Also "On Stage" is one of the books that Ash went over before writing her song. The other is "Gothic Rock Artworks", I think. Blurry image.** **Rate and Review, please!**


	11. Then She Appeared

**A/N: To my amazing reviewers:**

 **grunt100: Now THAT is high praise. Glad I'm keeping you interested in the story, and be happy, new chapter's here! ;)**

 **Jinkling: Well… Gotta have a post-theatre-opening kiss, don't we? Haha**

 **To the remaining, THANK YOU very much for your feedback and compliments, and I love you guys. Also, I made the chapter extra-sweet for all of you romantics out there. There is drama, there is romance! *dramatic music* Hope you enjoy the 11th chapter of Story Not Told! Longest chapter so far.**

Ash went over the broken ceramic and plaster pieces trying to find her guitar case. There was no way in hell she was going to use that dress for another second, the competition being called off so suddenly. Finally grabbing the case, she inspected it. Minor scratches around the thick oak wood around it, but at least her clothes were not ripped and somewhat dry. She looked back. Buster was still where his beloved theatre used to be.

She directed herself to one of the stores nearby to get changed. Upon her return, the koala's doddering assistant had left, and he was looking for something in the middle of the debris.

"Want help?" His ears perked up, but he didn't turn to face her. Kneeling down, she started going over many broken items with him. "What are we looking for?"

"Ash…"

"What are we looking for?"

"A portrait. The one you saw, hanging on the wall." His voice was low and teary. Of course. What was the one thing he loved more than theatre?

"Got it." She dug deeper into the mess.

"Ash, about the prize money, I didn't-"

"Let's find your thing, and talk afterwards." Buster knew better than to argue with her. Silently, both went over the mess, until finally finding said portrait. "There we go."

"Thanks." He dusted his hands off, and helped her up. She nodded.

"Don't mention it." She closed the distance between them. "Look at me." He faced her. She promptly threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"I'm sorry…" His voice was faltering, and he held her back. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean for this to- It was a mistake, a big mistake." He fell to his knees, bringing the porcupine along. Soon he was sobbing, and blabbering things she couldn't quite make out.

"I'm not mad at you, I just wanna know what happened." His breathing went a tad bit steadier. She breathed on his neck, making the koala shiver. "Tell me what happened."

"The flier should say $1,000, not $100,000. Miss Crawly added a couple more zeros by accident."

"Why didn't you tell us?" He scoffed.

"Would you have stayed in the competition to win that symbolic value?" She went silent. "That's what I thought. I played along with it, and tried getting the money with Nana, but this-" The words got clogged in his throat. " _This_ happened."

"Where are you staying?"

"I'll find a place."

"You can stay with me."

"Listen, Ash, why don't you just…" He sighed. She froze, and hoped he wasn't about to say what she thought he was. "Go back to your house, to the life you had before all this, and-?"

"No!"

"Ash you deserve better than this! I have nothing to offer!" He came closer to her, and gently held her shoulders. "This is my fault, okay? We shouldn't have, _I_ shouldn't have, this was all a mistake. I'm sorry, I can't do this…"

"You're giving up on us because of what happened here?!"

"We weren't meant to happen!" Her heart was shattered inside her chest. He started walking ahead. "Let's just… Move on."

Her sadness boiled into anger. Grabbing her guitar case, she exited the site, shooting him a last glance. Had all that been for nothing? Those kisses, those cuddles, that show? She had been walking for a good five minutes when a familiar sound caught her ears. Hell, she knew that voice like the back of her hand. Lance. Turning at a corner, she spotted him. Better, she spotted _t_ _hem_. Lance and Becky. Performing a gig. Staring lovingly into one another's eyes. She turned around, devastated.

She walked a few more steps before coming to a halt. No. He didn't mean anything he had said. He was upset because of what happen to his theatre, right? He did love her. He had said so himself! He did all he could to keep their relationship a secret, just so they wouldn't be separated. He was just broken. He didn't mean anything he had said. Right? Without a second thought, Ash turned and ran back to the place that used to be a theatre. If he was broken, she was going to put his freaking pieces back together, whether he liked it or not.

Buster sat on a broken chair. He knew that by now both the bank and the police were on their way there. He breathed out heavily, and couldn't help but think of Ash. Poor girl had been dumped twice in a row. He loved her with all he had got. He knew he had broken her heart, and felt terrible about it. But it was for the best, right? She was going to find some other guy, closer to her age, and be happy with him. Some guy who wasn't middle aged, had a crippling debt with the bank and wasn't sitting in a pile of rubbish thinking over his decisions. And who hadn't almost drowned his theatre's cast, in the first place.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he missed the llama going right past him, and only woke from his trance when he heard hammering. Looking to his left, he saw the bank employee putting up a sign in the debris. _Property of SFJ Bank_. That was it. Besides his father's loyal bucket and the portrait of the theatre's grand opening, he had nothing. Grabbing both items, he proceeded to exit the place, shooting the llama a last glance. She held a frown that could melt iron. He crossed the street, directed to his childhood friend Eddie's house.

He failed to notice a porcupine following him, trying her best not to be seen. He walked a good four blocks before stopping outside a house, and circulating it. Ash not once losing his track, despite carrying a heavy guitar case along the way. She figured it'd be better to keep a distance now, and hid behind a tree. Buster went into, she figured, a pool house and rested his belongings by the door. It was strange seeing him like this, him usually being so cheery and happy. Not too long after, he came out of the place and rested upon a sun lounger.

Ash silently approached him, cautious of his hearing capacity. Buster had his eyes shut tightly, and seemed to be a mess. His suit was creased and his tie was unaligned. Taking a seat by his side, she realigned his tie. The sudden touch scared him.

"A-Ash? What are you doing here?" He tried to sit up, but was held back.

"Take off your shirt, you're gonna get sick." She undid the tie, and tossed it to the ground.

"What are you- Hey!" She pulled him into a sitting position, and started undoing the buttons of his shirt. Done, she took it off.

"Just watching out for you." She grinned. "Besides, that's a nice look."

"Ash, what… What did we talk about?"

" _We_ didn't talk about anything, all I did was listen to you."

"I explained everything to you, to why I am doing-" She tried kissing him, but he moved away. "I love you, and that's why I care about you. You're gonna find someone, someone you don't have to be secretly dating, a younger guy. This, us, it's not going to work out."

"We'll make it work out." She held his face, and gently pecked his lips. He shut his eyes. "We'll work this out together."

"Ash…" She wrapped her arms around him, and rested her face on his chest. "I'm soaked wet."

"I don't mind." She started running her fingertips along his exposed area. "There is one other thing I want to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"About the show."

"What show?" He chuckled sadly.

"The show we would've put up if it hadn't been for those bears."

"Ash, it's over. We don't have a stage anymore."

"We can find one."

"It's over. No one is going to participate without the prize."

"You don't know that." He shot her a disbelief look. "Come on, where is the glass-half-full Buster I know and love?" He laughed a little.

"Back there at those debris."

"Come on…"

"Ash I'm not going to put any show together, none of them ever worked out."

"My movie director friend likes your shows. She says you write like Orson Whales." He gave a heartfelt laugh.

"Tell your friend she's too kind."

"Come on, Buster, you don't even wanna try?" He shot her a sad grin. "What will it take for you to try?"

"I've been trying for 6 years, Ash. I destroyed a historical theatre." He turned away. "Literally." She hugged him from behind, and he held her arms around him. "Thanks." Ash kissed the nape of his neck, and he curled up. She laughed. He had to be the cutest thing she'd ever seen. "What?"

"You. You're funny." She held him closer against her. He smiled. He liked the sound of her laughter.

"I get the shivers when someone pokes back there." He chuckled. "It's a weird reflex I got."

"It's funny." He smiled a little. Ash racked her brain for a plan. He didn't seem to be willing to put the contest together no more, and her strategies to get to him were failing. The sun was setting. Buster turned to see it, and brought her closer to him. She flashed him a smile, and hugged him. Silently, both watched the sun's descent.

"You know… When I was younger, me and my dad used to go to the hills and play counting stars. We'd close the car wash early, take the car, throw a couple sandwiches in it for us to eat when it got dark, and leave. It was an hour-long ride, far from all city light, but it was worth it." He talked dreamily about the moment. "We'd lay down and talk, and watch the sunset… Then count stars. It was great."

"What did you talk about?"

"Nothing important." He sighed. "Let's see… Shows that were coming to town, movies, recent discovers in astronomy… How good we were doing at the car wash…" He laughed. "Miss Crawly. Good god, my dad could talk for hours about the things she pulled. She worked at the car wash, and was pretty energetic back then." He smiled to himself. "And she loved pulling pranks on my dad, time to time. I'd help her, of course. And it was funny. She was kind of a second mother to me."

"What happened to your mom?"

"Died giving birth. All along it was just my dad and me, and he tried to pretend everything was okay, but he missed her a lot. I know he did. Maybe as much as I miss him now." He seemed lost in his thoughts. "You know, this one time? He told me my last name was Moon because mom had went to live with the moon when she was having me. That always got to me. I liked believing that. To my… What? 7, 8 year old self? It was special. Like our names were related to our story." He looked down at his hands. "What about you? I know the start, but I don't know how it ended."

"Believe me, you don't wanna hear about my family."

He shot her a small smirk. "Can I take a wild guess?"

"Go ahead."

"Your parents are strict. The kind that wants their kids to get great grades and sing at the church choir." She started laughing. "A rebel like you, you ran away, that's what you told me, how close am I to truth?"

"Close enough."

"Come on, tell me." He nudged her gently.

"There's not much to it… It's the typical story, strict parents who don't support their kid, the kid runs away, yadda yadda yadda."

"Did you run off with someone?" She lifted an eyebrow, and he put his hands up. "Hey, just curious."

"Not at the time. I mean… I had someone, but my parents made sure to ruin that as well."

"They chased him off or something?"

"They kicked him out of the house. We were performing, me and him. They found the show house god knows how. They went in and dragged both of us back home. My dad, he threatened Michael and, well… Kicked my ass. I ran off that same night, just off impulse I think. I had thought about it before, but that was the cherry in the cake. I grabbed a bunch of junk and climbed down the window."

"I would've helped you down. I can't imagine how suffocating strict parents must be."

"Well… Suffocating enough for us to be here today." She smiled at him. "So I guess it wasn't a bad thing after all." He took her hands, and swooped her in for a sweet kiss. Ash sat on top of him, and held him close. Parting lips, she got off of him. "I think I got a nickname for you."

"And what's that?"

"Full Moon. Fitting, uh?" He laughed.

"Buster?" Both turned to find a tall sheep right behind them.

"Hey, Eddie." Buster quickly got off the chair, and cleared his throat. "Uh, Ash, this is Eddie, my friend. Eddie, this is Ash. She is-" He stopped himself, and took a deep breath. "She _was_ one of the competitors back at the theatre."

He approached the couple, lifting his hand to meet Ash's. "Nice to meet you."

"Same." The sheep looked anxious about something, so she proceeded. "I was just kinda… Leaving, now. Just came here to check on him."

"Yeah." Buster added. "I'm just gonna walk her out and we talk, buddy." Picking up her guitar case, he gave Eddie a thumbs up before following Ash out of the place. "Chances are he didn't see anything, but if he did I'll deny it vehemently. Okay?"

"Okay, but Buster… About the show-"

"We will have to talk later about this, just call me tomorrow. You have my number, just call me okay?" He pecked her lips and ran back to the pool house. "Eddie. What's up?" The sheep turned the TV on.

"You tell me."

 **A/N: BOOM, THAT JUST HAPPENED! Please rate and review :D**


	12. Tears In Heaven

**A/N: Not a very long chapter, this here's mostly dialogues and the entwine of three different... Stories, mind me. They all happen at the same time. But trust me, TRUST ME... I have something big planned for the next chapters. With this we're one step closer to finishing the story, and that makes me sad :( I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am, and thank you for making _Story Not Told_ the second most reviewed fanfic in the Sing archive! It's an honor. *heart* Anyways, here's chapter 12 of Story Not Told!**

"No! I mean... Yes, he's in there and not coming out. I've tried that! That also. You're what? No, not today. At least let the guy get a good night of sleep before that. Knowing him, he'll be up first thing in the morning. Okay. Go ahead, I'll just... Keep trying. Thanks." Eddie was whispering into the speaker, then turning his attention to the door in front of him. "Buster, you can't hide in there forever!" He knocked for the, he figured, billionth time. "Open up!" He could make out soft cries and sobs on the other side. The knob turned to reveal the theatre owner. Buster was a mess, and felt like such. Sniffing, he looked up at the much taller sheep.

"Yes?"

"I ordered pizza."

"I'm not hungry, Eddie." He forced himself to smile at his friend. It was not his fault he had destroyed the theatre and was now headline news, right? "But thanks."

"Okay, forget the pizza. Wanna play something?"

"Nah, I'm good… I think I'm gonna call it a day." He rested down on an inflatable bed, and looked up at the TV.

 _Citizens are shocked, and it's a miracle anyone survived this great disaster. Whilst Moon has not been found to give interview, sources say-_

Eddie quickly grabbed the remote, and turned the TV off. "You don't have to listen to this, you're beating yourself up as it is." He sat near his friend.

"I deserve it." He chuckled sadly. "Let alone destroying the theatre, Eddie, I could've _killed_ everyone. I deserve everything they're saying."

"You could've gotten yourself killed back there, that occurred to you?"

He froze for a second, thinking about his girlfriend. He could be the biggest loser he knew, but someone saw something in him. Ash wanted to be near him, a fraud or not. And she would've been sad if he had died, or so he figured. "Now it did."

"So don't beat yourself up too hard over this." He flopped onto the couch. "Anyways… That girl that was here today?"

Buster's ears perked up. "What about her?"

"I've never seen you so comfortable around a girl before." The sheep laughed.

"Well…" He pulled the sheets over himself. "Can't be all awkward around the cast, right?"

"Except for she's not cast anymore. She was here with no competition up."

Good god. The koala definitely didn't like where this was heading. "Yes?"

"Dude… You like her or something?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." Eddie looked at him intently. "Okay, we're together."

"That's awesome news, man! Congrats!"

"Thanks." He smiled.

"How long?"

"A couple days."

"While the competition was still up?" He raised a brow.

"Hey, if it was for that she wouldn't come here." Buster sighed. The same assumption Lance had made, and it was enough to make his stomach turn. He knew her, Ash wouldn't go that low.

"True." He yawned. "Good night, Buster."

"Night, Eddie."

* * *

Ash walked towards her apartment. That had been a busy day. The whole theatre coming crashing down aside, she had been walking for a good hour before finally catching sight of the NYC suburb-styled building she lived at. However, that wasn't the only thing she got a glimpse of.

"Oh no…" She hid in a bush just on the other street, and peaked her head out. "Come on, why are you doing this to me?" Just outside the door, sat her mother and father. "You never cared before, you never- Goddamn it…"

No way in hell she was going to face her parents. Turning around, she silently prayed they hadn't spotted her as she walked in another direction.

Tara was laying down at the couch, re-watching _Two and a Half Moose_ , and laughing to herself at the stupidest things said by the characters. After a tiring day directing many crew members around a set, she gave herself a marathon of her favorite series as a reward. She loved directing, but couldn't deny it was a ton of work. Holding onto a bucket of popcorn, she slowly drifted into sleep.

Between an episode and another, the doorbell rang, and she woke up in a jolt, dripping popcorn all over the place, and falling over it. The doorbell rang again, and she stumbled her way over to the door.

"Who is it?!" She asked, distressed.

"It's Ash! I kinda… Need a place to stay. My parents are keeping guard at my house."

Tara quickly opened the door. "I'm sorry, okay? They put me against the wall, your brother said we had seen you, and-"

"Whoa there!" Ash laughed. "I'm not complaining, Tara. Actually I kinda expected that to happen, I knew he wasn't going to keep secret. I just need to crash somewhere and well… You're the one friend I've got that won't smoke weed through the night."

"Oh. Uh… Get in." She stepped aside.

"Thanks." Getting inside, the rocker rested her guitar case by the door, quickly noticing the mess in front of the TV. She burst out laughing. "What happened here?"

"You happened here." Tara smirked. "I was watching TV, eating some popcorn, and fell asleep."

"I told you many times you gotta learn how to sleep in a bed." She said, plopping herself onto the couch.

"I will soon, mom." The otter shot back. "Wanna watch something?"

"Whatever you are watching."

"Fox is having a Two and a Half Moose marathon."

"Two and a Half Moose it is."

"Great." Tara flopped herself onto the couch. "If you're hungry, there's popcorn all around."

"Pass." In-between episodes, breaking news showed the destroyed theatre. Tara looked at her. "Well, this happened."

"Damn! Moon put a massive tank in there?!"

"Moon _built_ a massive tank in there. Using practically anything he could find that was made of glass." Tara's jaw dropped.

"Are you okay? I mean… Your chance to perform your original and all."

"Yeah, I'm good. I talked to Buster, about putting the show together again, he told me to call him tomorrow."

Tara laughed. "He gave you his number?"

"No, we are going use telepathy." Tara laughed. "You moron."

"He just wanted you to call him." She winked.

"You think he has a crush on me, don't you?"

"First praising your talent, then the song, and now he asks you to call him? Pretty sure he does."

"A bit old for me, don't you think?"

"As long as he makes you happy." Ash raised an eyebrow at her friend, smirking. "Wait, no way!"

"Yes, we are."

"Tell me how it happened!"

"We were at the theatre, and kissed. No big deal." The otter was listening expectantly. "The tank who caused all this? He got squids to perform there. Yesterday, he took me there and showed what he had planned, and we kissed."

"Was it good?" Tara was holding onto a cushion.

"It was great. We kissed and, well… You know. Everything happened fast, but it was nice."

The other girl held a hand up. "He took you to bed with him?"

"More like I took him to bed with me." Ash laughed.

"Straight-forward. Was it good?" The teenager nodded. "Great."

Both girls turned to the TV in time to see the adjectives that were being thrown at Buster, and Ash could only hope he wasn't watching the news. She was almost asleep when her phone rang, startling both girls. Groggily, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She yawned and rubbed her eyes, suddenly jolting awake. "Oh hey, Miss Crawly."

* * *

On the other side of town, Lance finished another gig with his current girlfriend Becky. House wasn't full, but they had gotten a decent amount of claps. Offstage, they shared a drink. Performing mostly in bars, it was more than usual for them to get one or two shots on the house.

It was also around this time that the only folks you could find around were drunk animals singing karaoke, band members chilling out, or stoners from around town.

"Well done, babes."

"Thanks. You feeling better?"

"Getting there." He rubbed ice along his bruised arm. "I swear, I was _this_ close of kicking his ass."

Before Becky could reply, a female voice laughed right behind them. "Sure you were."

"Don't you have a better place to be, Laura?" Lance replied, annoyed.

"My shift's over, I'm just another employee enjoying a drink."

"Go defend your boyfriend someplace else."

"He hates me just as much as he hates you, Lance. Know why? We're both cheaters. And you know you deserved it, talking about that girl like that."

"Did you eavesdrop on us?"

"More like heard it on accident." Becky stared at her. Laura merely smirked as she took another sip of her margarita. "You teenagers shift emotions towards someone so fast… And when you look back you see you made a mistake."

"If you start talking like a wise old lady I'm gonna throw up." The other girl snickered. The three of them laughed.

"I'm not that old, and I don't have to be the wise lady. Time will teach you, Lance. Breaking other's hearts isn't cool."

"Why don't you go bother another cheater?"

"I don't know another cheater." Laura laughed, as she rested a couple $5 bills on the counter. "Gonna get in line for karaoke."

"Don't blow our ears up!" Becky mocked, and both porcupines laughed.

"I'm not worse than the two of you, don't worry." She walked away. The two lovers, in lack of a better program, proceeded to listen to Laura's singing. They would never tell her, but she had just a fine voice, and pulled Ewe Clapton's _Tears in Heaven_ just fine. Not too long after, one of the TV's in the bar started showing news from the incident at the Moon Theatre.

Becky quickly turned to the bartender. "Hey, put that up please? Lance, look!" Both of them turned just in time to see the site the theatre used to occupy destroyed, chairs and bricks everywhere. Lance's jaw dropped, and he soon replaced it with a smirk.

"Suits the koala just fine." He laughed. "A handmade fish tank? Seriously? He thought that was gonna work? And to think Ash traded me for that idiot."

"I know, right?" Giggling, Becky got off of her chair and motioned for Laura to look at the TV. The koala got distracted for a second and, upon finishing her song, ran to the counter.

"Good lord…" She couldn't help but remember all times Buster had told her about the theatre, how much he loved directing and how close him and his dad were of buying it. The times he worked at the car wash after school, sometimes even missing their dates, to clean a couple more cars. All for that place. And there it was: his beloved theatre reduced to ashes.

"Hey, you know what? Now that the guy's probably curled on himself crying, might just be the best time to win him back." Laura stared up at the porcupine. "Come on, don't be mad, I just want to reunite the lovebirds." Lance moved closer, and started messing with her ears. They twitched. Without another word, she kicked his chair, and the much younger male fell face first on the ground.

"Might as well tell Buster he doesn't have to fix your buck teeth anymore."

 **A/N: DAM BOI, BUSTER'S EX IS AS SAVAGE AS HIM! XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks to all commenters. Love you guys *heart* Also if you're curious on how Laura heard practically everything that happened in there… Buster heard Meena's singing from a distance, why not? Rate and review, please? Thank you!**


	13. Let's Face the Music and Dance

**A/N: 50 REVIEWS?! OH MY GOD! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Answering questions again…**

 **Guest: Maybe? I don't know… Do you guys want a sequel? I'm open to suggestions!**

"Pick up!" Ash was starting to get worried. According to Miss Crawly, Buster was not doing okay after the whole theatre collapse, and the fact all papers in town were talking about him didn't help. And now, he wasn't answering her calls. In front of her, Tara laid out fresh orange juice and pancakes.

"Dude, chill. If he's like that old lady said, he's still sleeping now, and that's good."

"Buster doesn't sleep in, Tara. I've never seen someone so energetic."

"Maybe he's busy, then." Ash tossed her phone to the coffee table. "At what time she told you to be there?"

"An hour from now." She rested back, rubbing her forehead.

"There we go, see? Just another hour until you see how good he's doing." The other girl looked at her with a disbelieving look. "Or not! The guy might as well be a wreck. I'm just saying you shouldn't stress out that much, it isn't healthy. Just chill, eat your pancakes while they're still warm- I got an extra set of keys here." She flipped a small keychain to her friend. "Take them with you, as I know you won't crash in boyfriend's friend's house. I'll probably be out late today." She rested back on the couch, folding her arms behind her head and closing her eyes.

Ash smiled as she examined the small key holder. An old-fashioned camera, with the word 'Cinema' crafted on the back. A graduation present, she figured. "You love, live, and breath movies, don't you?"

"Well, well, well, seems we got a Sherlock Hamster around here." Both girls shared a laugh. Ash quickly got back to thinking.

"How would you feel if you saw your studio crashing right in front of you?" The other girl popped an eye open. "Along with everything you worked so hard to build, all your equipment… How would you feel?"

"Maybe how Moon feels right now. Unmotivated and plain… I don't know, depressed? That'd be a good word for it." Ash took another bite of her pancakes, listening intently to her friend. "But I'd end up putting myself together. We all do. Take you, for example. You put yourself together after that piece of scum you dated before Buster. It was hard? Yes, but you did it. And so will he."

She sighed. He had picked himself up from his problems in the past. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"I know I am. So relax. And lock the door when you leave." She rested a towel upon her head. "I'm gonna try and sleep another hour."

"Wanna turn the TV off?"

"Don't bother. I like the sound." She yawned.

"Sleep tight." Ash went back to eating. It was a good 15 minutes subway ride to the theatre. Walking towards the sink, she started doing the dishes.

"Hey, don't you wanna move in? I got a spare room and hate doing the dishes." Both laughed.

"I thought you were asleep."

"Getting there." She turned over on the couch. Ash shook her head, and resumed the task.

Not long after, she patiently waited for the subway to arrive. She was running late, the dishes had taken a bit longer than she expected. She braced herself to what she might see. The possibility of putting together another show so remote, she didn't bother taking her guitar along. A few minutes passed, the subway arrived and Ash hopped in, humming to songs along the way.

As she expected, Buster's hideout was the same house from the day before, but now it looked more like a bomb shelter. All blinds were closed, and there was a weird feeling in the air.

"Ash, over here." Miss Crawly whispered, and motioned for her to come over. All faces from the competition, in expect for one annoying mouse's, were near the house. They all waved at her. "You all know why we're here, I was just expecting this last one."

"How exactly are we gonna do this?" Meena said. "I mean… Happy go lucky Mr Moon, if he's down enough not to put the competition up…"

"I've known Mr Moon since he was this tall." She held her hand out not farther from the koala's current height. "Not a big difference, I know." The cast laughed. "He just needs a little push. You want this competition to sing with your hearts, and not for money or fame. The one who did it for those reasons didn't bother coming here."

"So let's get going! It's going to be spicy, no?" Gunter, the most cheery of the competitors, said. The five laughed at the pig. He had a way to lighten people's moods.

"Yeah, we gotta do this, I left the garage with no one there."

"It won't take long, Johnny. Don't worry. Let's go." The group followed the seemingly ancient lizard. Ash was growing anxious by the minute. Miss Crawly knocked on the door.

"Mr Moon?" No answer.

Ash took a step forward. "Come on Moon! You can't just hide in your buddy's pool house!"

"Yeah, we just wanted to make sure you're alright, that's all." Rosita added.

Buster went to the door, and slowly pulled it open, not once facing his cast. He looked devastated. Ash looked at him worriedly, and wanted to hug him, but stopped herself. Taking a peek inside, she saw the same sheep from the other night snoring away in the couch, and briefly wondered how the conversation between him and Buster had went the past night.

"Hey, Mr Moon." The pig mom said, worriedly.

"You okay?" Johnny asked, taking a quick peek inside.

Not once looking up, the koala started to stutter, embarrassed by what he'd pulled. "Guys, I'm sorry about what happened, and the prize money and-"

"Oh, it's okay." Rosita assured.

"No. None of this is okay." He quickly interrupted.

Ash spoke up. "At least we're all in one piece."

"Yeah, and you know what, I bet we can find some other place to put the show on. Right?" Rosita reassured. The cast agreed.

Buster smiled sadly. "The _show_? Guys… I'm done."

"Are you serious?"

"What do you mean you're done? Come on!"

Lifting a hand up, he quickly scooted a newspaper from the ground, reading it out loud. "Didn't you see this? Huh? It says I'm a danger to society-" Gunter interrupted him, and he lift his hand higher. "A deluded, washed-up charlatan who never had a hit in his career." He bowed his head. Ash's heart broke for him. He believed every and each of those words. Much like herself had believed Lance's. She, however, proved him wrong, and was going to make sure Buster proved them wrong.

"You don't believe all this!" Rosita said, bewildered.

"Yes, I do." He went to close the door, when Johnny stopped him.

"Listen. You're not the only one who lost something 'ere. We all did. I mean, I lost any chance of ever speaking to my dad again over this show-"

"I'm sorry." He tugged on the door, finally shutting it.

The cast exchanged glances. Whilst Gunter was plain confused, all other cast members were upset. Even Miss Crawly held a sad frown on her face. But it was mostly Ash, hands up.

"Come on, let's get outta here." She wasn't going to give up without a fight, but just going inside the pool house would raise suspicion. Bidding goodbye, the cast started to scatter. Meena, however, stood her ground and Ash could make out her trying to persuade Moon to put the show together. At this point, she was just outside hoping the elephant'd leave soon, and when she did, the rocker went ahead and opened the door.

Buster was laying down on his inflatable mattress and had his eyes shut tightly. She merely rested against the door, hoping he'd address her. When he didn't, she spoke up.

"Yesterday, you were just ready to talk, and now you don't even pick up my calls." He looked at her.

"I don't even know where my phone is."

"Did you drink?" He shook his head. "Then it's probably in your jacket." She took a seat in front of him.

"Ash, I'm not gonna put the show together."

"Yes you will. This is just the moment speaking."

"I'm not! Ash, I'm tired! I'm-!" She jerked back at his outburst, and he calmed himself down seeing his friend move in the couch. "Tired of all this! I've been trying to save the place for six years! I'm not putting the show back together! I don't-" He took a deep breath. "I don't _want_ to. I thought I could handle it, I thought I could make the theatre a place of wonder and magic, but I don't have what it takes."

 _Of course you do, you big idiot._ Regaining her composure, she moved closer to him. "Does you friend know? About… Us?"

Buster looked at her confusedly. "Yeah, he does. I told him."

"Good. Then it's fine if he catches us doing this." Thrusting her lips onto his', she pushed him back on the bed. He returned the kiss just as intensely. It was an urgent kiss. Both were holding tight onto whichever they could grab hold of, that being either fur or clothing pieces. Ash straddled him, slipping his arms to her waist, while bringing her hands up his neck and the back of his head. They parted lips with a wet sound, both breathless and smiling.

"Wow… The last time I was kissed like this, I was a teenager myself." Both laughed lightly at the colocation.

"The good part of dating one, you get kisses like this."

"I'm still not doing it."

"Fine by me. It just seemed like you needed one of these."

"I really did. Thank you." She kissed all the way down his jaw to the base of his neck. He shuddered, letting out a small gasp, and bringing her yet closer to him. She cradled him in her arms, smiling seeing him lean into the hug. "Ash, if you knew how much I love you…"

"I love you just as much. And that's why I don't want you to sit down in an airbed all day listening to people call you a failure." She turned to face him, his eyes were half shut. "Come on, get up. Do anything! Just don't… Sit around."

"May as well get a job." He chuckled lightly.

"Or do that. Do you want help finding a job?"

"No… I know exactly what I'll do."

"Want help doing that?" She traced up one of his arms. He shook his head.

"I don't want to destroy the image you have of me. Don't say anything." She held her hands up in surrender. "Thanks. I just gotta… Get some stuff before I start. It won't take long." She nodded, and got off his lap.

"You're gonna be okay on your own?"

"Yeah I will. Don't worry about me." He sat up, and slid his pants on.

"Maybe… We can hang out tonight. Just you and me. We can grab a couple sandwiches and just sit outside, maybe go swimming a little."

Tugging on his pants' pocket, he pulled out his phone. "Promise to answer if you call." She laughed lightly. "If I'm feeling better… I'll call you later, when I'm done."

Ash nodded, and went to the door. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Yeah, I should be fine." Walking up to her, Buster planted a sweet kiss on her lips. "I see you tonight."

"I see you." And with that, she started walking ahead. She knew he wasn't gonna call. And also didn't miss the moment he grabbed hold of his father's old car-washing bucket. She could only imagine: A slightly-older-than-in-the-pictures Buster polishing cars and throwing water bucket after water bucket in windshields. She laughed lightly at the picture, until realizing what it meant. She turned back, and faced him before he could close the door.

He quickly dropped the bucket, like he didn't know why he had grabbed it in the first place. She looked into his eyes. "Remember a few days ago, when I thought I couldn't write a good song and the one original I had got sucked?" He looked up reflectively, and nodded. "You kept saying how good I was and how I could do it. And I ended up putting a song together, that original doesn't sound as bad. I don't care how many times you say you can't put the show together, I will always tell you you can. And when you do it… You'll be surprised at your own result."

He laughed sadly. "You have what it takes. I don't."

"Funny you say that." Taking a step ahead of him, she picked up the bucket. "Because I used to tell myself the same thing. Until you came along. Funny, right? Good luck in your car wash." She handed him the metal piece, and left. Buster pondered over her words for a little while, until he realized. She had him dumbfounded with her words. That, whoever, wasn't enough to make the koala reconsider. Calling up his doddering assistant, he resumed his plans of re-opening his father's old open air car wash.

Arriving at Tara's place, Ash looked around. The crazy otter wasn't back yet, and that meant she had the house to herself for a few hours. She took that time to clean up, (She could swear her friend hadn't cleaned the place up in months) listen to songs, watch some TV and even going to the market. Knowing her parents, she figured she'd have to stay for a while at Tara's house, and of course she was going to help with the shopping. Mainly because the house didn't have anything edible.

She looked up at the clock. Nine into the night. She plopped herself onto the couch, and proceeded to watch whichever crap was on TV, carefully avoiding any news program. She started getting drowsy, and fell into peaceful sleep. The following morning, her phone started ringing. She woke up in a jolt, and saw she had covers upon herself, probably laid there by her friend. Ash moved over to grab the phone, smiling as she saw the number.

"Hey there, Full Moon. What's up?" She yawned, still half-awake. A situation that'd change the second he said those words. She excitedly kicked the covers off. "You are _what_?!"

 **A/N: There we go, Full Moon's gonna put the show together! Expect more action in these (I figure) last two chapters! Also it's 1 in the morning. If I can't wake up tomorrow, I'll blame you guys. Rate and review, thanks to all commenters!**


	14. I'm Still Standing

**A/N: Hey there, followers of Story Not Told! I'm sorry for leaving you update-less for so many days, thing is, I am on vacation and internet signal here SUCKS! This chapter is a bit short, it has a little romance, I have more but I wanted to end this chapter where I ended it. Tomorrow, or the day after that, I'll have another chapter up. Thanks for your review! ;)**

Buster stopped to admire the progress they had made. The main arch was up in all its glory, the theatre's signature moon had been put back together and was now waiting to be positioned in its spot. Meena and Eddie were adjusting the theatre's light system while some competitors trained. Running short of time, there was always someone practicing while the rest helped in the construction. He stopped in his tracks. Huh. There was something missing. Going backstage, he grabbed the portrait of the theatre's inauguration, and hanged it on the wall.

"Perfect." The frame was broken, but he couldn't care less. One problem at a time. Not long after, he heard the sound of guitar strumming, and smacked his forehead. He quickly grabbed a nearby box, and dragged it to the back. "Ash, can you come here for a moment?"

Ash quickly nodded and followed him backstage. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into a dark corner and kissed her. It took her a moment to react and kiss him back, but before that he had her pressed against a wall and his hands on her body. She shivered, and couldn't help but let out a low moan, and hope no one heard it.

"Buster, literally everybody's out there."

"No one's coming behind the scenario, silly." He chuckled. "We just gotta be quiet."

"Where's this coming from?"

"I thought you liked the surprise element." She laughed lightly at his remark, and leaned into his arms.

"I do alright." Her lips found the nape of his neck, and nibbled on it gently. He huffed, and lifted her skirt slightly, smirking to himself. He had no idea where this was coming from, and it wasn't like him to be this straight-forward, but he liked it.

Ash was surprised by this. Who would've thought Mr No-One-Can-Find-Out-About-Us would want _that_ practically in public. She wrapped her arms around him, and quickly got his jacket off, then tugging on his bow tie, and pulling it loose. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"You bring out this side of me." Careful not to lose his own balance or hers, Buster quickly scooped Ash into his arms, pressing her further against the wall. Heat was building up between the couple.

"Buster!" A voice called from the other side of the wall. Both quickly broke the embrace and everything adjacent as Eddie looked at them from a small distance. He didn't seem to notice the porcupine, or at least he ignored her for the sake of his friend's privacy. "The hell you doing there man?!"

"Uh... Checking if all lights are working! What are you doing?"

"We're done with the stage lights, see if it's good! Most wires were destroyed, so we had to work with the ones we had. It's working, but... Come give it a final check, I don't know how it's supposed to look like!"

"Be right there!" The sheep left, leaving the two animals. They exchanged a glance. "Next time, we're going somewhere more private."

"Whatever works." Ash straightened her skirt up. "But don't lose that idea." She flashed him a smirk as she started redoing his bow tie.

"I won't. But I'm kinda curious on how you know how to tie one of these." She was absorbed into her task. "I usually get it right on the third try."

"Years of seeing my dad knotting this around his neck. Too tight?" He shook his head. She pulled on it. "Then we're all... Done."

"Thanks." He gently brushed one of her loose quills. "Which reminds me why I asked you to come here in the first place."

"I thought this was why."

"Part of it." He winked, picking up a guitar case that was sitting there and resting it besides them. Ash looked at him, and cocked an eyebrow. He simply nodded and motioned to the box. "Found it on Eddie's house, I had no idea he was still keeping it."

She proceeded to open it, and inside found a slightly worn-out black guitar. "It ain't a Stoatcaster, but it plays C's and G's." About that red speck there... That's on Marlon, you don't know him. We were trying to figure out a name for our band, and he grabbed the mold of a stain and spray-painted the guitar, the bass and the drums, and called us 'The Spots'." She cracked up laughing. "Yeah, okay."

She looked back at him. "You're giving me your old guitar?" He merely smiled, and shrugged.

"I don't play all that much anymore, figured it was time to give it to someone who'd make good use." She smiled and hugged him close, and he returned the gesture. "You like it?"

"Like it? I love it! This is one of coolest things someone made for me." She gently pecked his lips. "Thanks. And you ain't the only one with something planned."

"Please tell me it's a million dollar check." Both laughed at Buster's colocation.

"Wouldn't if I had it, Full Moon."

"Worth a shot." He shrugged, smiling. "Then what is it?"

"You'll have to wait until the presentation."

Horns broke the moment. "I gotta make a final check before we start."

"You go first. I gotta tune this, and get your surprise ready."

"Good luck out there, rockstar." He gave her a thumbs up.

"Break your leg." He turned to look at her. "Not a theatrical play, but rule's the same." Picking it off the ground, Ash tossed his jacket to him. He quickly put it on, smiling at her, and ran to the aisles. God, he had really fallen head over heels for the porcupine.

* * *

"All creatures great and small!" Laughter could be heard from the public's area, and Buster turned to face them. "Oh, there you are!" Besides Rosita and Meena's families, there weren't many animals on the improvised seats they had put up. He failed to notice another koala seating on the other side of the theatre, just watching him.

Of course, Laura would much rather sit closer to the stage, even to see the show better. But judging by the way Buster had reacted the other time they saw each other, she figured it'd be better to wait until more animals arrived. She'd blend in. She thought he'd be a mess after the downfall of his theatre, but he seemed happy. Joyful, even, as he introduced his amateur performers. Clock ticking away, more animals sat on the front row, and she joined them.

She was surprised by the talents she saw there, as well as the hell of a host Buster seemed to be. Breaking up so many years prior, she never got to watch one of his shows, and she had to admit: This was a great way to start. Back to reality, one particular introduction caught her eye...

"Alright, welcome to you all newcomers! You have arrived just in time to see a girl who was just recently dumped by her boyfriend!" The crowd went 'aww', while Laura merely laughed. That was _so_ Buster. He hadn't changed much. "Yeah, I know right? But she is going to chase those blues away with a song of her own! Allow me to introduce the new singing sensation, Ash!"

Said 'singing sensation' got on stage, wearing combat boots, a bulky sparkly dress and heart sunglasses. Buster couldn't believe his eyes, and the smirk Ash shot him said it all. This was his surprise, and good lord, he loved it. He was dumbfounded by her as she went over to the mic, but soon opened a wide smile at the girl. Laura raised an eyebrow at that, noticing the really familiar guitar she held.

Buster went to the aisle, and waited for her presentation. She looked amazing. It wasn't long until a shadow lurked over him, and he turned to see it.

"Judith?!" The llama was holding Ash's guitar's wire in one hand, and addressed the huge crowd that was now watching the show.

"You all are trespassing private property, and have to leave now."

"What?! Wait, Judith-" Buster tried smooth-talking the bank employee like in the good old days, but to no avail. She, instead, pointed the cord at him.

" _All_ of you!"

The crowd started protesting, with words for the llama to leave. Ash saw all the commotion around her. _No. I haven't come this far for nothing._ Ignoring the llama, she started stomping her foot on the ground. The public soon clapped along to the sound, and that was it. She had a beat.

"I followed my heart into the fire, got burned and got broken, down by desire, I tried, I tried, but the smoke in my eyes, left me blurry... Blurry and blind!" She tossed her glasses to the animals in front of her, who started cheering. The glasses Becky wore on that night a few days ago. She smiled halfway into her song. That was it; the last thing she had that reminded her of Lance was gone.

Buster watched as she led the crowd into clapping along with her song, and then it struck him. _That_ was what he loved about her. Her determination. It would take way more than a cranky llama to stop her from playing. Determination much like his own, he figured. Astounded, he watched her performance.

"I am calling the police!" Judith stated, leaving the aisle. Buster looked at Eddie, and shrugged. Ash felt a tug on her guitar, and looked at the two friends. Saluting, as if congratulating her, he plugged the cord back, and soon the porcupine started rocking the crowd out.

 **A/N: Thanks for your review! ;)**


	15. Road to Acceptance

**A/N: HEEEEY, IN SEVEN DAYS I HAD TIME TO WRITE A LOT! :D Quicky quick update, longer chapter, as you like. Answering questions again, since I haven't done this on the previous chapter because I forgot:**

 **grunt100: I am, but on my defense, I write better halfway into the night ;)**

 **Just Sing: Thanks for the suggestion! I had thought about it, and will write it.**

 **Guest: Absolutely not. This movie's been called Zootopia ripoff enough without me making a crossover. Plus, there's no way a couple cops'd fit in this story, unless they had Ash busted for drinking underage. - Oops! I did it again.**

 **Guest: Wait and see, my friend, wait and see! ;)**

 **Just Sing: You are partly right, Lance is an idiot, and was watching her after all. Like all fanfic writers, I see him as a selfish (pardon my French) ass**** who thinks of no one but himself, and of course he is gonna try and get Ash back. But _rockstar_ sounds better than _Fiery Ash,_ don't you think? Haha**

 **Enough of this, story time! Thanks for your review in advance, I feed on them XD**

* * *

"Ugh. She's not even that good." Becky stated, turning the TV off and tossing the remote onto the couch. Lance, who was watching her with mouth agape, shook his head.

"Yeah, totally." He laughed. The girl left the room. Going over, he quickly grabbed the remote and turned the TV back on. Hell, Ash was rocking the crowd out! If only he was still with her, he'd be famous now. Soon his expression turned somber. If he had just hidden Becky for a few more days... "What have I done? A chance wasted!" He smacked the couch.

"Babe? Who you're talking to?"

"Uh... No one babes! Listen, I'm gonna grab us some food, be right back!" With that, he took off the hall, directed to his former girlfriend's place.

* * *

On the good side of town, two porcupines watched the live show, and couldn't believe their eyes. Besides them, a smaller porcupine cheered to the beat.

"Sissy really rocks it!"

"It ain't that bad, hearing it again." Michael looked over at his wife, who merely shrug. "It isn't. It doesn't talk about heavy themes, or even hint on them. Melody is kinda pleasing, maybe taking those horrifying drums away would do the magic."

The patriarch stayed silent, watching the concert. "There's some things we can't change, right?"

"The best we can do is support, Mike. Even if we brought her back, in one year she could leave to do whatever and we wouldn't be able to stop her." He sighed, and she hugged him. "I'm not happy with this. What, don't you think I rather have a lawyer for a daughter? I thought she'd be another one living in the streets and holding a 'will play for food' cardboard, but she can make a living out of this." He looked over at Marina.

"And she's good at it!" Adam piped up, motioning as if he was playing the guitar. Matthew laughed softly at that.

"The way to win her back is letting her be herself, right?"

"Right." His wife nodded, smiling.

"And you want to go there right now and talk to her, right?"

"Smart boy! Car's ready?"

* * *

Back at the concert, Ash was done with her song, and slid on the floor during her last solo. Opening her eyes, she saw the crowd had taken shelter behind the chairs, and an amount of quills were poking out of seats, some others scattered on the ground. Sheepishly, she made her way back to the mic.

"Uh... You guys okay?" She was surprised to see the crowd springing back to life, and cheering on her and her song. Not long after, Buster joined her onstage.

"Look at that! We've just witnessed the birth of a genuine _rockstar_!" There were quills stuck on his face, and Ash pulled one of them out.

"Moon, you got some stuck here..."

"Ow!"

* * *

After the show, the contestants bid their farewell and went home to their families. All, in except for a certain koala and porcupine. While the koala spoke to two sheep, the porcupine was being praised by a friend.

"Dude... That was like, totally awesome!" Tara was holding tight onto Ash, not seeming to mind her sharp quills. "And that last solo?! Daaaaaaamn! You were born to this, I can swear!"

Ash looked over, and saw Buster talking to an elder sheep and Eddie. "I'm not some sort of rockstar, Tara." She laughed. "I did _one_ public performance."

"Then you're on your way there!" The girl let go of her friend. "Also... Your boyfriend there seemed to like it." She winked.

"He was hyped by everyone's performance, it proves nothing. And... Want me to introduce you? He seems to be done with... Whatever was it that he was doing." Both sheep were leaving the theatre, and Buster jumped happily.

"Lead the way, bud." Tara motioned ahead, and Ash walked her friend over to Buster.

"Hey there, rockstar!" He quickly hugged her. "Who's your friend?" He said, looking at the slightly taller otter.

"This is Tara. She's my friend who said you write like Orson Whales."

"High praise. Thanks." He bowed and kissed the otter's hand.

"And... She knows."

He froze. "Oh. Uh..." He shifted a bit awkwardly.

"Hey, I'm fine with it as long as you don't hurt her." She shrugged, laughing. "But if you do, I'll hurt you."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ash got closer to him, and he smiled and held her hand.

"Good. Listen bud, I know I said I'd be here and everything but I kinda... Well, night shift at the studio. We're gonna try and record tonight, weather's just fine for the scene we're filming."

"I knew you were leaving after the show." The porcupine laughed. "Good luck. Hug everyone there for me, and thanks for being here."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Both girls hugged close, and the otter left the two lovers behind.

"I'd invite you over to my house, but I don't have one. We could go out and eat something." Ash was about to reply, but looked ahead and saw another koala approaching them, being followed closely by three porcupines. "What is it?" He turned to see. "Laura?"

"Mom and dad?" She whispered. Both exchanged a glance, and turned to their visitors.

"Nice show you have here, Buster. Real smooth."

"Laura, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you, but... In private."

"I got nothing to say to you."

"But I do." The other koala remained impassive. She sighed. "When you went to the Cove that night beat sense into Lance, I was the one who kept the guards away from you, you owe me this."

"You kicked Lance's ass?" Ash turned to him, bewildered. He sheepishly shrugged. "Man, I wanted to see it! Anyone has it taped?" She looked at the other koala.

Laura laughed. "Maybe the security cameras, dear. I can get you access in no time, allow me." Buster gave her a light stare, and she shot him a smirk. "Just trying to bond with your... Friend here."

"You haven't changed the least bit." He sighed. "Okay. Backstage?"

"Whatever floats your boat, Buster."

"Alright. Be with you in a sec." The girl went ahead. Buster turned to his current girlfriend.

"She's cool!" She smiled.

"She's an ex-girlfriend of mine." Ash's smile faded. "She's also a cheater, like Lance there. That day I was just mad because of how he provoked you and everything, I tried to keep it cool but he started messing with my nerves, and... I'm sorry, I'm not usually violent. Just the way he spoke about you, it made me angry."

"I don't mind you doing that, really, I've heard him talk dirt about me to some of his friends and never said a word. So thanks. But, your ex... Don't you think she will..?" She shrugged, clearly uncomfortable.

"No! Hell no! Well, it wouldn't be mutual anyway. I'd stop her." She looked at his eyes trying to find any sign that he was lying. She wasn't sure about this, if Lance had so easily cheated on her when he had the chance, why wouldn't Buster? He had already kissed this girl anyway! What'd stop him from getting a taste? And then she realized.

Buster wasn't Lance.

He was the guy who told her not to get back to him because she'd end up heartbroken.

He _knew_ the pain of being cheated on, and wouldn't hurt her in that way, would he?

"Ash?"

"Don't cheat on me. Whatever you do, just don't..." Ignoring the porcupines right behind him, he gently hugged her. In a friendly manner, afraid that her parents would break them up right here.

He gave her a tender smile. "I love you. And I wouldn't do that to you." He gently pecked her cheek. Ash smiled, melting into the hug. He wasn't Lance. They way they hugged was different. He felt different. Hell, even the hug felt different. It was warm, and cozy. He truly loved her, thing Lance had never done.

"I love you too." Smiling to herself, she shot a glance at the three porcupines a bit ahead of them. Coming back to her senses, she quickly broke the hug. He looked at her confusedly. "My parents are here." She stated. "Go check what she wants while I handle this."

"You're the best. Be right back." With that, he ran backstage. The porcupines approached, Adam quickly running up to his sister and pulling her into a tight hug.

"You were great, sissy!"

"Heh. Thanks, buddy." Ash couldn't stop looking at her parents, trying to decipher what they were thinking. Well, it was good while it lasted. They'd take her back in, to a life she hated, so she'd be the heir of a great fortune, and probably go to college to become a doctor. "Hey there..."

"Hey, dear." Her mother said, approaching the girl. Her husband kept a distance. "We saw your... Show."

Ash rolled her eyes. "And you're here to say it was terrible, and I'm not the girl you raised, and to take me back with you."

Marina shook her head. "Doesn't sound that bad. I think this is your talent either I like it or not. The whole town seems to like it, soon you will make a living out of this." She shrugged. Ash was listening, dumbfounded. Who was this person and what had they done to her mother? "I accepted this was you a long time ago, Ash. I don't have to like it, or agree with it, this is how you're gonna be, period. And I wouldn't speak the truth if I didn't say we missed you."

"A few days ago, we were just ready to take you back, don't fool yourself. Living in that joint."

"You think I haven't noticed? You kept guard outside my apartment." The teenager rolled her eyes.

"We do that because we worry about you, dear."

"Well I don't need you to worry about me! I've been handling myself just fine since I left home!" Her mother lifted a hand in air.

"After that... Night, two years ago, I thought you'd come running back. I thought you wouldn't make it, and would need our help. But you made this, and now you're city-wide famous, you'll soon get... Contracts? Is that what they're called?" The girl merely nodded. "And... Well, this is your life now. Plus, taking you back in would be of no use... Another year and you would leave and we'd just sit and watch."

Michael came closer. "So what we're meaning to say is... We accept you. And congratulations, of course. I haven't seen anything like this since Crabdence came to town."

"And it'd be nice if you just... Dropped by, eventually."

"And stood away from drugs." Ash laughed. Of course. This was her parents she was talking about. "Hey I know they sound fun and the all but they're not, missy!"

"I don't do drugs, dad. Never did, and don't plan on."

"Good." Both elders said almost in unison, letting out a breath.

"Don't be like those punks who die early because of a heroine overdose."

Ash rolled her eyes. "I won't."

Coming closer, Marina quickly pulled her into a hug. "I missed you, dear."

"I missed you too." She looked up at her dad. Clearing his throat, he took a step forward.

"Can you forgive me?"

Ash perked a brow. "For?"

"For... Doing that, the same night you left. I always thought that was what triggered you leave."

"It was part of it." The patriarch looked down. "That, and you broke my guitar. And kicked my boyfriend out of the house. And made a scene at a party."

"Hey, I'm not perfect!" The girl grinned, victoriously. "I just... Can't we put that behind us and start fresh?"

"We can." She smiled.

"It'd be nice if you dropped by one day, to have dinner." Marina spoke up. "Tara drops by eventually, between one shooting and another, it'd be a chance for you to hang. She's always tired, barely says a word, a friend of hers would do her some good."

Ash chuckled lightly. "It's a ton of work, mom. There's a lot of people involved in the production."

"I gave up trying to understand what was hard about you artists' life's a long while ago. I can't imagine that. To me, hard work is a pile of paperwork that has to be done."

"Artists." She laughed, and turning to face her mom. "It's the first time you don't call them elements." The older woman cocked a brow.

"Call _you_ elements." The elder woman smirked. "You're one of them now, and no way in hell my daughter's an _element_."

Ash looked back at her father. He was smiling. She rarely saw him smile. Smiling back, she motioned to both girls. He quickly embraced both his daughter and wife, staying like that for a long while.

That was it. Finally. They didn't think of her as a failure anymore. Ash had her family back.

* * *

 **A/N: And we walk one chapter closer to the end... I hope you are enjoying your ride, and if you are, please leave me your words or thoughts down here.**


	16. I Don't Wanna

**A/N: ALRIGHT, HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER CHAPTER OF STORY NOT TOLD! WEEEE! I apologize profusely for the delay, school's here and... y'all know. Replying to reviews!**

 **inubiina: Hahaha, the most I'd like to do that, I'm saving it for the re-write of chapter 9.**

 **Guest: Here's your update, and I hope you like it! *heart***

 **mrLapin: I think we all are :D**

 **Just Sing: Don't judge OCs so fast, bud ;) they might surprise you!**

 **wolftattoo: They might as well think of him as a degenerate, and I think you just gave me idea for a sequel! :D**

 **This chapter in particular is dedicated to my dear friend and fellow writer Andrea O'Down of _Keep on Singing_! Go check her story out, because it rocks! Shoutout to mrLapin for all the private praise he gave me. ;)**

* * *

Buster leaned against the curtains, facing Laura. Damn. Neither of them had changed much, they figured. Buster was still the theatre-crazed sweet fella and Laura was still the seemingly gentle gal that could actually kick your ass. Buster laughed a little to himself. _The opposite of Ash..._

"What?" He shook his head.

"Nothing. Just funny seeing you after all these years. We could be complete strangers."

Laura shot him a playful smirk. "If we hadn't kissed in the back of your dad's car wash, maybe. Also, I'm sorry about him... you doing okay?"

"Getting there. I miss him. But what do you want to tell me?"

"First off, I'm sorry for... what happened. I was young and dumb, and I'm sorry I broke your heart."

"And secondly..?" He was shifting awkwardly.

"Secondly, I wanted to know if maybe we could... try again." She moved slightly closer to him. He moved away.

"It amazes me how you haven't found anyone in so many years. But uh... I'm kinda seeing someone."

"Oh yeah? Who's the lucky girl?" She smirked, rising an eyebrow.

"Ah, you don't know her." He waved his hands a bit. "It doesn't matter."

"Hm. Funny you say that. You and that girl who played an original shared a more than friendly look." Buster froze. "You're so obvious." She giggled. "It's the same look you gave me that one time I invited you to dance with me then got a little hyped during a R.A.M song."

"She's just an acquaintance."

"Who was playing your old guitar. You think I don't remember?"

"Okay, I _lent_ her my guitar. This proves nothing."

"You never lent it to anyone. That's something." She giggled. "What are you afraid of? You think I'm gonna judge you for being different species? Also I don't want you back, I'm actually engaged. Just wanted to embarrass you."

"No, it's not that, it's-" He gave her a light stare, and blushed. "Laura!"

"Naive you, like always!" She laughed. "I wouldn't drop that bomb on you." Buster pulled out a couple chairs, and took a seat, being followed by Laura. "But seriously, it's her, isn't it?"

"Okay, I'm seeing her!" He threw his hands up in surrender. "That what you wanted to hear?"

"How long?"

"Few days, we're still trying to work out this whole age gap and different species thing. People are more accepting these days, but I don't want to expose myself or her."

"How many years are we talking about?"

"Twenty five."

"And how old are you?"

"Forty t-" Looking over, he saw Laura smirking, and shut his mouth. She cracked up laughing.

"Forty two minus twenty five, that makes her... 17?" He nodded. "A bit young for you, don't you think?"

"She's gonna be 18 in a few months. When we first kissed, this gap bugged me a lot, but she never seemed to care."

"Teens." Laura scoffed.

"I know, right? But at this point, I just followed her lead. It doesn't bother me anymore."

"But it bothers police, and laws. Keep it hidden from public eye until she's legal, okay?"

"Funny you say that." He chuckled. "Everybody was here, and the two of us were smooching backstage."

"Good god, Buster."

"She makes me feel young again." He confessed. "You remember the crazy stunts we pulled when we were young?" He said it almost in a whisper, and the gal burst out laughing.

"If I do!"

"We made out in your dad's old pickup truck, for Pete's sakes! And when he arrived the next day, we pretended nothing had happened? This is something we don't do anymore, the age we are. But when I'm with her I can... I can do that stuff. She makes me feel good about myself."

"You mean hiding to kiss or sleep with someone?" He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I miss that too. I'm just gonna ask you one thing."

"What?"

"Don't hold her back."

"I won't. And she wouldn't let me if I tried." Both laughed lightly at this.

"Your nick in school was Mr Uptight, I never told you this." He shot her a bored look. "If you're in for that forbidden love story thing, she must really be worth it."

"She is. I can't highlight something about her that I like mostly, just everything she does is special in some way. If only you knew, you could feel this… you'd be amazed. I think I never loved a girl like I love her. No offense."

She shook her head. "None."

"I know it's wrong. I shouldn't be doing this, and it's wrong, I feel like a pervert at times. But on the other hand, I feel so good when I'm with her. I don't feel alone anymore." Laura smiled and nodded. The same Buster who'd just open up randomly. "You know, since my father left, I have no one besides Eddie. She kinda filled up a void I had in me." He shrugged. "Not like anyone can substitute my dad. But it's good to feel loved."

"Well… I'm not the one to judge you. When I was 28, I went out with a kid who was 18."

"That's 10 years of a difference, and the kid was legal."

"Still, there was an age gap. And you said so yourself, she'll be legal in a few months. She's not a kid anymore, she can choose to be with you. Forget about everything else for a moment. Forget her age, laws, how society feels about it. Does Ash make you happy?"

"Yeah." He beamed confidently. "More than I've been in the longest while."

"Do you make her happy?"

"I… yeah, I guess I do. I haven't asked her to go to Humbur's with me." The sides of his mouth curled into a smirk.

The girl stopped for a moment. "For one, if you wanna keep her, never take her to that place." The male laughed. "Yeah, alright. The key to a relationship is happiness. If the two of you are happy, you are the perfect match. I know you can work this out. You made me happy."

He smiled. "Thanks, I'm glad to know."

"Just not that one time, we ended in the hospital because you tried-"

Buster hung his head. "Don't ever remind me of that again. They called me 'arsonist' for a month!"

"Alright, alright!" The girl giggled, then extending her hand. "Friends?" Buster smiled, and shook her hand.

"Friends."

* * *

One word leading to another, Buster conducted Laura out of the theatre, hugging her on her way out for old times' sake. Ash did the same with her parents, who were too tired to go over to her house and chill. Not long after, both animals had the theatre to themselves.

"What did your parents want?"

"Tell me they accepted me, invite me over for dinner sometime, and tell me to stay off of drugs. What did your ex want?"

"Tell me she was sorry about cheating on me, asking if we could be friends, and tell me not to hold you back."

"What?" She stopped to face him. He brought her closer, and led her hands all the way up his shoulders.

"She knows me too well." Leaning in, he kissed her. "I never got the chance to say congrats."

"Thanks, Full Moon. It was cool to do it."

"It's the best feeling, especially the clapping afterwards. I played when I was younger. Eventually, but I did." He beamed proudly.

"I bet." She laughed. "Wanna go over to my place? You can stay there if you don't have a place to go."

"You're asking me to move in with you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well... You said you lived at the theatre, right? So you don't have a place to go."

"I have Eddie's house. It's tempting, Ash, but I... you know. It's not gonna end up well."

"We might as well be roommates." She shrugged. "I'm the competitor who offered shelter to the manager when he lost his house."

He raised his eyebrow. "I wake up super early."

"Fine by me. And it's just until you find a place." She shrugged. "Then we see what we do."

Buster shot her a gentle smile, and bowed to kiss her hands. "Thanks, love."

* * *

It was a good 10 minute subway ride to Ash's apartment. Buster made a mental note to ask Eddie for some money to go clothes shopping, as every clothe he had was literally on his body. He carried Ash's guitar case, while she held his old guitar, striking the chords away and humming to herself.

"You know… I respect you a lot more now."

"Why's that?"

"Because you carry this everywhere with you, and this half hour is killing me."

The girl laughed. "Need help?"

He shook his head, and winked. "Hey, I'm being a gentleman here." She laughed.

"Alright. Say… who was that sheep you were talking to? Not Eddie, the other one? She seems familiar."

"She's an actress, Nana Noodleman. I used to go to her shows when I was a kid." He said, enthusiastic.

"She must be really old, then." Ash teased.

"Few months over ninety." And the girl's eyes went wide, making him giggle. "And the good part is, she's rebuilding the theatre!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, and we're having a squid-powered stage! Just like the one who took us here." He chuckled lightly, tilting his head to kiss her, but quickly remembering they were in public.

And that practically the entire city had seen the show, so them both were recognizable. His ears dropped slightly, and he sat straight. The gesture, however, wasn't unnoticed by Ash, who squeezed his hand. He smiled at her, and within minutes both were walking down the street to Ash's apartment.

Getting closer to the building, they couldn't miss a porcupine sitting just outside of it, a single rose in hand.

"Oh for god's- he has gotta be kidding me!"

Buster shrugged. "Guess someone saw the show." She gave him an annoyed look. "What, did you think he'd never realize who he lost? You're _amazing_. And by what you told me, he craves for spotlight."

Ash nodded. "He does."

"Well, are you giving it to him? You know you're city-wide famous now."

"After coming this far? Never." He smiled. "He never bothered believing I could do it. Listen…" She gave him her keys. "Second floor, as you know. I'll be there in a beat."

Buster nodded. "Alright. If things get out of hand, just yell. Kicked him once… can kick him twice." Both laughed, as the other porcupine finally acknowledge their presence. He waved.

"Hey, Ash." He eyed the koala, and Ash could swear he flinched just the slightest bit. "Moon."

Buster walked up the steps, putting the key in the keyhole, before fixing the tuft of hair on top of his head. "It's _Mr_ Moon for you, kid." He then turned it, but the doorknob wouldn't go. He twiddled with it a bit, Ash hardly suppressing a laugh at the scene in front of her. Fidgeting with the knob a bit, and finally getting it to turn, the koala looked back at her. "Got it!" And with that, he quickly went inside.

She thanked heavens it was over, because she was about to burst out laughing anytime. She bit down on her lip to prevent her from doing so, and turned to her ex. "What do you want?"

"Hello to you too."

"What are you doing here, Lance?"

"I brought you this." He extended the rose. Ash lifted a brow, and took it.

"Thanks."

"Can we talk?"

"I'm not taking you back."

"Oh come on babe! I told you it was a one day thing!"

She lifted a finger in air. "If you're gonna start calling me 'babe', I'm just gonna leave."

"Okay, sorry! But come on… can't you forgive me?"

"I can forgive you, but I don't want you back! I didn't want you back when you dropped by the other day, I don't want you back now!"

"But you do know it was a one day thing."

"I have my doubts."

"You were never around, I was just lonely."

"I was _never_ around? I was out late for _two days_ working for us! We had a plan, Lance! If we won that money, we'd create a label, and the world'd hear your songs!" He tried speaking up, but Ash didn't let him. "Pipe down, I'm not done yet! Hardly a place in town wanted us; I always told myself that it was because no one understood you. I let you into my apartment after your parents kicked you out, I worked at a place I hated just so I could keep the two of us! Because you so generously just didn't last in a job!"

"I don't always wake up with an alarm, you know that! Come on, Ash… I know I screwed up, but can't we start fresh?"

"And after what I've done for you, you take your other one to _our_ house? Seriously? And I didn't get to the good part yet. Above all… you never believed me. I always told you I wanted to write, and sing. You never helped, or even cared. All you did was say I wasn't good enough. But you know what? I am good enough. That I did today, I did on my own. Those claps were given to my work."

"I know, and it was like… totally cool, Ash! We could make a duo again, you know? I sing some leads, you sing some other…" He risked.

"Thanks, but no." Lance took a few steps forward, prompting her to move away.

"Letting out the fact I'm never gonna find someone better than you!"

She smiled. "Yeah you will, just like I did. And he's kinda waiting anyway, so… I see you around. Plus, I think you have your own problem to deal with." She pointed in a direction, and Lance turned to look, freezing in place.

"This is where you came _grocery shopping_?!"

* * *

 **A/N: I might as well come clean to y'all. I never meant Laura to be an evil character, despite some of her actions being misunderstood by people here. I tried writing her as a bit of an indefinite character till this chapter, but most of you assumed she was a bad character. And I think that's my fault, as a writer. So I'm sorry. I hope, however, she surprised you all. R &R, your opinion's important to me! :D**


	17. Love Interruption

**A/N: It took me two weeks to write this chapter. No joke. And today, I wish to tell you a story before the story. It is about the day I arrived home after having a particularly bad day, and saw Story Not Told had reached 102 reviews, that have now become 112. And you guys have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you all so much. I'm seriously crying while I write this, I didn't expect this story'd get so popular. Every single of your compliments is stored in my heart, and thank you all for them. Again, I'll reply to reviews:**

 **MarioDSO1 : Thank you for every single one of your reviews! I know I don't necessarily need to put song titles in every chapter, but it makes the story better, don't you think? ;) and the songs end up having something to do with what happens in the chapter, either in lyrics or just the title. It's fun looking for songs to do it. For the first part of your suggestion, yes, Ash is going to have her 18th birthday in the sequel! :D finally those two will be able to hold hands/kiss in public. For the second part, I don't think so. I try keeping my stories as attached to reality as possible, and mating between two different species isn't real or possible. Plus, I don't really see those two as parents. Sorry :/**

 **Salty Lanky : I don't see why you'd mind that last half year/year so much. Someone who is 17 is almost an adult, and can choose to be with someone older. I do not support pedophilia, but I support people who know what they're doing with people who know what they're doing. I myself was a victim of pedophilia, and am writing this story, being fully comfortable with the idea of a 17-year-old going out with a much older guy. Know why? 17-year-olds know what they're doing ;) And the M chapter has 'MATURE' written all over it, if you clicked it, you knew what you were gonna find. I don't find fair to tag a story that's not based on sex as mature.**

 **Victoria : Thanks for the compliment, dear! *heart***

 **Guest : Thank you for your compliment, it means a lot! *heart***

 **RomanticKoala : Well, let's see how that goes! ;) Thanks for all your reviews, by the way!**

 **inubiina : Be sure it was! You'll find out how it ended here. ;)**

 **Guest : Sequel is OFFICIAL! ;) More info on the bottom of this.**

 **Chapter is dedicated to my good friend mr-Lapin, because without him I would've never finished this.**

 **Boy! That's a lot I had to answer XD I wish you a merry ride, and enjoy the final chapter of _Story Not Told_!**

* * *

"Bad boy really isn't your style."

"I just wanted to tease him, love." Ash laughed. "I didn't know you had to turn the doorknob thrice for it to open."

"I never thought I'd see you trying to be badass."

"You should've seen when I paid him a visit at the Cove. I literally gathered all my badass to teach him a lesson." Buster popped a can open, and handed it to Ash.

"Thanks. You're not a bad roommate." He shot her a bored look, and leaned against her.

"Thanks. And well… he opened the game enough for us to watch this."

"Suits him just fine." She chuckled. "He's a jerk."

Just outside the window, two floors below, Becky and Lance argued over what the girl had just witnessed. Little they knew they were being watched, and were now the reason of a bet. Buster bet that they'd get back together, while Ash bet they wouldn't, and Lance was going to get hurt.

The loser would have to clean the apartment for a month. Neither of them considered that alone to be something bad, since Ash was used to doing all the hard work by herself, and Buster wouldn't mind doing it for her.

So they added something else to it.

If Ash lost, she'd have to wear a dress at the theatre's opening.

If Buster lost, he'd have to dress up like a punk. And play a song in front of all competitors.

And risking a dress seemed fair, if she was to see that if she won.

Shaking hands, the bet was up. Ash didn't know much about Becky, but figured she wouldn't like seeing her boyfriend asking his ex to get back with him. Let alone _praising_ her. For her, the bet was as well as won.

Said and done. Not long after, Becky declared she was through with Lance, and when he tried to prevent her from leaving, she smacked him in the face. On the window, Ash cracked up, while Buster buried his face in his hands. The other guy looked up at the couple.

"Screw the two of you!"

"Hey, we're not the ones having a bad day!"

"This is not funny Ash, where am I gonna stay now?!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a place. Or another dumb girl who'll let you crash!"

"SHUT UP!" The window above opened, and a bucket appeared. Buster quickly rushed Ash inside, and the bucket fell on Lance. "YOU PUNKS!"

"Is he usually like that?"

"Yeah, he is. He hates noise. He always tried to do this when we played, so the house is soundproof. It's not professional because we did the soundproofing ourselves, but at least no one complained anymore."

"Good, that's useful." She shot him a dirty grin. He blushed deeply. "Not that kind of useful!" The girl laughed, pulling him into a kiss.

"One of the uses, it is." He nodded, giving her a shy smile. She went back to the window and looked down at the other porcupine, who was now soaked wet. "Look on the bright side… if you need a shower, just come here and yell!"

"You piece of sh-" Ash didn't let him finish, as she knew the length of Lance's vocabulary when it came to cursing someone. He was the guy who stood awake for hours on end perfecting a Japanese text only to curse on a panda in her native language. She closed the window and looked down at the koala who now sat on her living room's floor. She grinned, before sitting on his lap.

"Remember our bet?"

"It was a moment of fragility…" She burst out laughing, and kissed him.

"You." She kissed him again. "Are going to dress up." Another kiss. "Like a punk." One more. "And play a song to everyone." She kissed him for a longer while, pulling away when he tried to kiss back.

"Now you are just teasing me."

"Can you blame me? It's fun." She leaned in, and he reached out to kiss her. Both sat in that position for a while, none wanting to break the kiss. Eventually parting, they embraced each other.

"No pictures, please?"

"Why is that? You even had that long hair when you were younger, pictures don't lie." Ash laughed.

"I was the age to do things like that." He looked down.

She turned to face him. "This is what it's all about?" He nodded firmly. "Your age shouldn't stop you." He looked at her in disbelief. "It's a number. Down here, it's all the same." She dug into his jacket, and put her hand over his heart. He smiled.

"Everyone's gonna laugh, Ash."

"More like they'll be too shocked to say anything." She winked at him. "It's something to remind the two of us of the moment, please?" He sighed, and finally nodded. "You won't look as bad as you think, don't worry."

"I hope so." He slid his hands down to her waist, and pulled her closer to him. "Have I told you you look amazing in this dress?"

"You could say it again." She smirked.

"Well… you do look amazing in this dress. It suits you."

* * *

"Come on Moon, you can't hide in there forever!"

"Watch me. Seriously Ash, I look terrible!"

"You can't look that bad!" Ash was holding back her laughter, imagining what Buster'd look like. "Just come out already!"

He sighed, and finally stepped out of the box. Ash's jaw dropped. He was dressed fully in black. He wore combat boots, tight jeans and a Seal Pistols shirt, topped with a leather vest. The perfect punk. And he even had a grumpy expression on. "So?"

"You look awesome!" Ash couldn't help but giggle a little, it was funny to see him like this. "I could swear you came out of a band."

He smiled at her. Sure, he'd avoid as many mirrors as he could. But she liked it, and he'd do it for her. "Thanks."

* * *

A few months later, the theatre was finally rebuilt and ready to work. The whole gang - minus Mike - stood on the stairs, along with some journalists and other animals, just waiting for the great reinauguration.

"All creatures great and small! Welcome to the new Moon Theatre!" Buster proclaimed, cutting the ribbon. All animals present cheered.

Night fell upon them, and both the press and peasants left. The cast finally had time to go inside the place and chill. Buster showed them the new dressing rooms, the _safe_ squid-powered stage and the new offices. He had no idea how, but Nana had retrieved most of his office's belongings. A quick inspection through the book's pages showed most of his pictures remained intact. He quickly put them back on the shelf, and went towards the door.

Ash was resting against Mrs Crawly's desk, and smirked at him. "So, you ready?"

"You really gonna make me do this?" He almost singsonged. She just laughed, and raised a brow.

"It was our bet." She handed him the clothing articles. "And hurry, it's getting late." He shot her a bored stare as he slipped the clothes on.

"I'll never bet again."

"Never say never. And combat boots are worn outside of the pants' hemline, not inside. You look like a farmer." She laughed.

Buster quickly put the hemline inside the boots. "I knew that." Ash raised a brow and smirked. He sighed. "Will you at least join me onstage?"

"You want me to?"

"Well… since I can't sing, it'd be good." He laughed lightly.

* * *

Downstairs, the cast talked as they shared a few snacks and went through the last months' events. Johnny and Meena had gotten a contract with a very famous label and Gunter found a job as a dancer in a club, whilst Rosita just went back to her normal day to day life. No one heard anything about Mike since after the performance and he hadn't shown up to the great inauguration, the cast couldn't help but wonder what had been made of the mouse.

Buster chased Ash down the stairs, being as quiet as possible. "Ash, don't!"

"It's gonna be fun, don't worry!"

"I'm not gonna do this, I swear!"

"Come on, you need a proper introduction! Your first live performance!" Ash poked him, making him step away.

"Ash, when you're a good singer and someone introduces you is a thing, when you're an obviously terrible singer and someone introduces you is a totally different thing!" She lifted a brow, and shot him a smirk.

"Since you're gonna do it anyway, why not have the good, non-embarrassing part?"

"Everything about this is embarrassing!" He looked about to have a mental breakdown. Ash looked into his eyes.

"It's not anything you haven't done before. You even played this song before!"

"To my _friends_! They wouldn't laugh right at my face."

"Ha! Tell me one animal who's out there today that'd laugh at you." He opened his mouth to reply. "Mike isn't here." He immediately went silent. "No one that's out there would laugh at you no matter how terrible the presentation is. And you don't sing that bad, I heard a couple of your practices. So chill out and remember to breathe, alright? Or else you'll be huffing in the mic." Ash laughed.

Buster shot her an unamused look, and managed to put on a small smile. "Alright. Go ahead. I wait here?"

"No point in showing the presenter before the presentation, am I right?" She shot him a grin.

* * *

All lights in the theatre dimmed, earning weird look from the animals who chatted away in the first rows of seats. A single light focused on the center of the stage as Ash entered the place, getting everyone's attention as she stepped in front of the mic.

"As a thank you for your amazing performances at our open air theatre a while back, we decided to put up a special presentation just for you guys! All of us know the guy who's presenting on this stage tonight. This is the first time he does this in a long while, so let's give him our warmest salute. I introduce to you all, Buster Moon!"

The cast took a moment to react and start clapping shyly. Then Buster entered the stage, and the claps ceased, being replaced by surprised looks. Eddie's jaw dropped, and he looked up at his friend in amazement. The koala merely shrugged.

"Her idea."

The sheep's eyes fell upon Ash. "Thank you so much, Ash! This is priceless!" He laughed a little. Buster shot him, and then her, an annoyed look as he positioned himself in front of the microphone.

"Again, this was entirely her idea." He pointed to Ash, and she merely shot him a smirk. "Well… if the clothes didn't give it out, we're gonna sing a punk song-" He was interrupted by Eddie's laughter, and chuckled. "And knock yourself out, Eddie." With that, he struck the first chords to _Dream On_ , by Aerosquid, and was followed closely by his girlfriend.

They intercalated the solos, and their voices made a beautiful harmony. Soon, the cast cheered to the beat or sang along to it. Even the squids, who got that day off, started flashing along to the beat. Once the song was done, Buster and Ash received a standing ovation, and bowed. Not long after, the cast started to scatter, everyone going back to their houses and families, until no one but a koala and a porcupine stood in the empty theatre, getting ready to go home. Together.

"Yeah, I gotta admit. It was fun."

"It's the best feeling, especially the clapping afterwards." Ash said, shooting him a smirk. "You said so yourself."

Buster rolled his eyes, a smile of his own forming. "Yeah, I guess I did." They leaned in, and briefly kissed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Giving me this. I forgot how fun it was. It doesn't matter if you don't have a great voice as long as you're having fun."

Ash shrugged. "Meena said she liked it."

"Like she'd say anything but that." Both shared a quick laugh, as they went to leave the stage. The porcupine stopped in her tracks, and looked at the stage. The same stage it had all started. The stage she had been selected at, the stage that caused turmoil in her previous relationship. She froze for a moment, remembering the day she walked into her apartment and saw her boyfriend with someone else. The song they sang. She got an idea, and tugged on Buster's jacket. He turned. "What is it?"

"Let's play something else?" He gave her a confused look. "Just for the sake of it. We're alone here."

"Well… alright." He smiled. "Got a song in mind?"

"Yeah, I do." She walked to the mic. "We'll keep it off. Let's just sing for ourselves."

"Whatever you say, rockstar." He winked. "Do I know the song?"

Ash didn't reply; she just started singing, and soon Buster joined her in the choir.

 _"And I want love to-"_

 _"Change my friends to enemies."_

 _"Change my friends to enemies-"_

 _"And show me how it's all my fault."_

And with that, they locked lips.

A/N: **Thank you who read it this far, and please leave me your thoughts. *heart***

 **Now, about the sequel… it will have two parts, one M-rated and one T-rated, besides a Valentine's Day Special that should've been up a month ago. I apologize for the delay. :( Now… stories are going to be a bunch of one-shots, and I take suggestions! What I'm saying is, I'll write whatever you guys want me to! ;) It'll be a sequence of unrelated one-shots set after Story Not Told. Of course, I'll write some of my own too. ;) Already taking suggestions, leave them down here! :D**


	18. AUTHOR'S NOTES (final chapter)

A. Hundred. And. Fifty. Four. Reviews.

Thanks to all of you amazing readers who made this the third most commented story in the Sing fanfiction archive!

* * *

So, I figured I shouldn't leave your reviews go unanswered, so I am back to reply them! And yeah, I meant to post it on the story's birthday on Jan 7th, but couldn't, since I was travelling.

 **(On a side note, _Story Not Told_ 's sequel is up! It is called _The Koala and the Porcupine_ , and you can just click my name to find it! ;))**

* * *

 **BEFORE WE GO TO ACTUAL REVIEW REPLY...**

I was wondering. Would you guys be interested in a rewrite of Story Not Told? Because I have to say, there are more errors in it than I'll admit, but I need to know if you people would be interested in it! ;) Just drop a comment at this chapter so I know.

* * *

 **REVIEW REPLY!**

 **Asanil:** Thank you so much for your continued support! I'm really happy you enjoyed this story!

 **Taserdude:** Perhaps, my dude, perhaps ;)

 **Guest 2:** I don't really appreciate your idea. Sorry. P.S.: Women aren't men's possessions.

 **Just Sing:** I'll definitely keep your suggestions in mind! :D

 **Guest 3:** I love it! And the idea of prejudice has been on my mind for a long time already.

 **Andrea O'Down:** Thank you! *heart*

 **Memelord26:** Thanks, eh!

 **nightmaster000:** I'm so happy you think so!

 **TheKingOfSING:** Now that is high praise. *heart* thank you!

 **Firelord515:** Yeah, I can totally get you there. This was my first story after a really long time and my English was kinda rusty. I'm glad you still liked the story, regardless of that! :) I hope you enjoy my sequel, _The Koala and the Porcupine._

 **sorry lanky:** Apologies accepted. No hard feelings.

 **Guest:** No, me and Buster aren't at jail, the story just ended. ;)

 **Wahtiff:** Yes, problem? I can still interprete characters how I want to, can't I?

 **meliza,turlington:** I'm so glad you're enjoying this! Also kudos to you for reading _Story Not Told_ and the first 24 chapters of _The Koala and the Porcupine_ in a single week! Thanks for all the comments!

 **Guest:** I am glad you like it!

 **Ciel:** Thank you for your continued support! I am glad you like this!


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